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JL 














METROPOLITAN 

TORONTO 

LIBRARY 



789 

YONGE 
TORONTO 
M4W 2G8 



METROPOLITAN 

TH 

tu 

L!8RARY_ 

CA;: RY 







HISTORY 



OF 



LEEDS AND GREN VILLE 



* - 



O IV T A It I O, 



FROM 1749 TO 1879, 



WITH 



ILLUSTRATIONS AND BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 



OF 



SOME OF ITS PROMINENT MEN AND PIONEERS. 



v 
BY THAD. W. H. LEAVITT. * 

I 

I 

t 

4 



1879. 



ILLUSTRATED BY E. A. TURNER. 
RECORDER PRESS, BROCKVILLE. 

LITHOGRAPHS BY DAVIDSON, WKELAN & YOUNGER. 





METROPOLITAN 
TORONTO 




CANADIAN HISTORY 



JAN 1 8 1980 






INTRODUCTORY. 



The Author is deeply sensible of the demerits of the present volume, which has been compiled 
amid the pressing demands made by the editorial charge of a daily newspaper. Great difficulty has. 
been experienced in securing information concerning the early settlement of the respective Munici 
palities, owing to the absence, in most cases, of official data. To avoid the use of explanatory foot 
notes and references to authorities, quotation marks have been employed, and the works consulted 
generally acknowledged. 

A large amount of space has been devoted to Biographical Sketches ; yet in this department the 
list is far from being complete, owing to various causes, the chief of which has been lack of 
co-operation upon the part of those most deeply interested. 

The utility and benefit of a County History rests primarily upon the facts which are collated 
for the use of the general historian : the Author therefore ventures to hope that the HISTORY OF 
LEEDS AND GKEXVILLE will be productive of a more complete knowledge of the settlement, growth, 

and development of the United Counties. 

THAD. W. H. LEAVITT. 



PRINCIPAL WORKS CONSULTED. 



rock~t ille Recorder. 
Brockrillc ^Fonitor. 
Jiroikrille Gazette. 
" Parliamentary Companion." 
" Case and His Cotemporaries." 
"Smith s History of Canada." 
,, McMullen s History of Canada." 
" Hough s History of St. Lawrence and Franklin 
Counties. 

" Evertt s History of St. Lawrence County." 

" Settlement of Upper Canada," by Dr. Caniff. 

" Tackaberry s Atlas." 

" The Irish in America," by Maguire. 

"The Irishman in Canada," by N T . F. Davin. 



" Croil s History of Dundas." 

Old Files of Newspapers. 

" Canadian Monthly." 

"Colonel Coffin s Chronicle of the War of 1812. 

Toronto Globe. 

" Hogan s Essay on Canada." 

" Documentary History of New York." 

" Life and Times of W. L. Mackenzie." 

" Gazetteer of New York." 

" Census of Canada." 

" History of Methodism," by Playter. 

" Parkman." 

"Tuttle s History of the Dominion." 

"Gourlay s Reports." 



, 



CONTENTS. 



PORTRAITS. 

PAGE 

T)aviis, John C 89 

Davies, Mrs. J. C 89 

Davies, Dr.. 89 

Johnston, Robert 89 

Johnston, Mrs. Robert 89 

Schofield, Frtd 137 

Keeler, James. 137 

Whitmarsh, E. H 137 

Taylor, George 137 

Fitzsimmons, William 137 

Brouse, Senator 1 50 

Church, J. R 150 

Kurd, Colonel 1 50 

Hurd, Mrs. Colonel leo 

Reed, J. K 150 

Lucas, Rev. D. V 1 53 

.Lucas, Mrs. I). V 153 

Chamberlain, Wyatt 153 

Alguire, Harmonius 153 

Alguire, Mrs. H 153 

Buckley, John 164 

Jessup, H. D 164 

Dumbrille, John , . 164 

McCrea, Hiram , 164 

Beech er, N. H 164 

Legge, Joshua j 74 

Britton, C. E 174 

Miller, Samuel 174 

Dickey, John 1 74 

Preston, Dr 174 

.Richards, Sir William B 186 

Holton, Hon. L. H 186 

Crawford, Hon. George 186 

Crawford, Lieutenant-Governor John 186 

Wylie, Colonel David 186 

Morden, Dr. J. H 186 

Moore, Dr V. H 186 

Ferguson, Dr. Charles 186 

Evertts, M. K. , 186 

Alguire, R. B 186 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Court House, Brockville 5 

Riverside House, Lyndhurst 62 

St. Lawrence Central Camp Ground. 67 

Rivers Cliff, Brockville 68 

High School, Farmersville 80 

County Model School 80 

H. Alguire s Residence, Farmersville. . . 80 

John Wiltsie s Residence, Farmersville 82 

John Kincaid s Residence, Rear of Yonge 82 

Carriage Factor) , D. Fisher, Farmersville 82 

Munsell R. Bates Residence, Dickens 82 

Tarmersville Emporium, S. A. Taplin 82 

J. (".. Giles (M. D.) Residence, Farmersville 82 

Charles Bales Residence, Dickens 82 

Joseph Merriman s Residence, South Crosby 82 

Mrs. J. DeLong s Residence, South Crosby 82 

J. B. Saunder s Residence, South Crosby 82 

Victoria Hall, Brockville 84 

M. E. Church, Farmersville 84 

Dumeld s Hotel, Charleston 84 

George Tennant s Residence, Mallorytown 84 

Roman Catholic Church, Westport 84 

British Hotel, Easton s Corners 89 

Heman McCrea s Residence, Wolford 89 

Methodist Episcopal Church, Jasper 89 

Tames Bissell s Residence, Augusta 94 

Genealogical Tree, Burritt Family 96 

Hiram Buker s Residence, Wolford 102 

Augustus Coon s Residence, South Crosby 106 

B. L. Halladay s Residence, Elgin 108 

J. P. Purcell s Residence, South Crosby 108 

C. L. Ripley s Residence, South Crosby 108 

Mclntosh Mills, Front of Yonge , 112 

D. D. Tennant s Residence, Yonge Front 112 

Reuben Field s Residence, Mallorytown 112 

Jeremiah Wiltse s Residence, Yonge Rear 112 

Roman Catholic Church, Kitley 1 18 



PAGE 

James Hunt s Hotel, Frankville ri8 

Samuel Edgar s Residence, Frankville 1 18 

Chauncey Bellamy s Residence, Kitley 1 18 

J. Goad s Store, Frankville 1 18 

Connor House, Frankville n8 

Dr. Preston s Residence, Newboro 1 18 

Elijah Bowser s Residence, Bastard 122 

James Barlow s Residence, Bastard 122 

M. E. Church, Phillipsville 124 

Philo Hicock s Residence and Foundry, Delta 124 

J. A. Shaver s Residence, Newboro 124 

John Kilborn s Residence, Newboro 126 

James Hazelton s Furniture Factory 126 

Mouth of the Gananoque River 126 

Read Waldo s Residence, near Burritt s Rapids 136 

T. A, Kidd s Store and Residence, Burritt s Rapids 136 

George Hutton s Residence, near Easton s Corners 136 

John C. Davies Residence, Easton s Corners 136 

Newman s Seed Farm, Wolford 136 

John Rose Residence, Wolford 136 

Mill and Residence, Cook Brothers, Andrewsville 136 

M. K. Event s Residence, Easton s Corners 138 

Mrs. Col. McCrea s Residence, Easton s Corners 138 

Cyrenus Stowell s Residence, Addison 144 

John Lane s Residence, Elizabethtown 146 

Henry Palmer s Residence, Bastard 144 

Coleman Lewis Residence, Addison 146 

Robert Earl s Residence, Elizabethtown 146 

Moses Waldron s Residence, Bishop s Mills 146 

John Earl s Residence, Elizabethtown 146 

Joseph Hayes Residence, Elizabethtown 146 

Stephen Seaman s Residence, Bastard 152 

John McCarthy s Residence and Brewery, Prescott. .... 158 

James Millar s Residence, Edwardsburg 164 

S. N. Throop s Residence, Augusta 164 

John Chapman s Residence, North Augusta 164 

John B. Bellamy s Residence and Mill, North Augusta 164 

Edward S. Thomas Residence, Mallorytown 164 

Daniel s Hotel, Prescott 170 

Queen s Hotel, Prescott 172 

Central Camp Ground Tabernacle 172 

Revere House, Prescott 173 

Nelson Shipman s Residence, Elizabethtown 173 

Brophy s Hotel and McKenzie s Furniture Store, Gananoque... 174 

Leeds Foundry, E. E. Abbott, Proprietor 174 

Charles L. Parmenter s Residence, Gananoque 174 

Prescott Distillery and Stock Farm of J. P. Wiser 174 

Samuel McCammon s Residence, Gananoque 176 

C. M. Church, Farmersville 177 

William Johnston s Residence, Kitley 177 

R. Brown s Drug Store, Gananoque 177 

W. H. Fredenburgh s Residence, Westport 180 

Dcclan Foley s Residence, Westport 180 

Clark s Woolen Mill, Westport 180 

Conley & Truelove s Factory, Westport 180 

W. H. Comstock s Residence, Brockville 187 

Flood s Hotel, Delta 192 

George Hough s Residence, Augusta 192 

John S. Leggett s Residence, Brockville 192 

Central Block, Brockville. . . 192 

Starr, Gill & Co. s Biscuit and Confectioner} Factory, Brockville. 192 

Battle of the Windmill 194 

Robert Johnston s Residence, Augusta 194 

Isaiah Wright s Residence, Augusta 194 

Priest s Residence and St. Francis Xavier Church, Brockville. . 196 
J. W. Hough s Residence, Fairfield 198 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

Alguire Family 80 

Alguire, Harmonius 81 

Aylsworth, Dr 157 

Abbott, E. E 175 

Atkinson, Dr 176 

Brouse Family 76 

Brouse Senator 76 

Bates Family 82 

Britton, B. M 97 

Bissell Family 95 

Bissell, James 95 

Bunitt Family . 97 





CONTENTS 



v. 



Brophy, D 1 75 

Brown, R 176 

- Booth Family I? 6 

Buell Family 181 

Brouse, Dr. J. E 183 

Buell. J. D. " 147 

Buckley, Dr 15" 

Bigg, W. R 156 

Bellamy Family , i"4_ 

Bellamy, John B 164 

liurritt, Daniel H 166 

Beecher, N. H 119 

Bellamy, Chauncey 1 19 

Bowser, Elijah . . . 123 

Barlow, James 1 23 

Brough, \V 132 

Bradley, J. A 139 

Barnes, John 101 

Buker, Hiram 103 

Buckley, John 172 

Brooke , T. M ~ 195 

Cowman Family 100 

Chamberlain, Dr. A. A IOI 

Chamberlain, Dr. T. F IOI 

Chamberlain, Rev. Wyatt . 102 

Coon, Augustus 107 

Connor Family. 119 

Connor, Samuel 119 

- Chipman Family 123 

Chipman, Ami 124 

Colton, R. P 132 

Cook. Benjamin 138 

. Thomas 138 

Comstock, \V H 167 

Crawford, Lieutenant-Governor John 195 

Charley, Benjamin 200 

: !. Dr. C. M. B 198 

Cole Family 144 

Clow Family 1 44 

Cole, Wilmot H . 145 

Chipman, Dr 151 

Coad Family , 159 

Coad, Joseph , 1 59 

Chapman. John. 104 

Clark, Joel 180 

Cooke, R. P 182 

Collins Family 89-97 

h, J. R 91 

Cummings, Rev. Dr 95 

Davies Family 89 

Davies, John C 89 

Davies, Dr 89 

Deviu, Thomas 90 

Davis, Mrs. Mary E 91 

Denaut, W. H 153 

Dumbrille, John 165 

Dunham, William Morgan 200 

n, Joseph 183 

Dickey, Rev. John 198 

Dunham Family 106 

"Delong Family 108 

Delong, Mrs. Maria L 108 

. Dickey, John 113 

Evertts, M. K 138 

Earl, John 143 

Earl Family 147 

Earl, Robert 148 

Easton, Dr 151 

Easton, S. S 89 

Edgar, Samuel 119 

Fisher, Duncan 82 

Eraser Family- 105 

I 1 "l, James 113 

Fields, Reuben 113 

French, Benjamin 169 

Fraleigh, Dr 176 

Fredenburgh, W. H 180 

Ferguson, William 182 

Fitzsimmons, William 146 

Ferguson, Charles 138 

Fulford Family 143 

Foley, Declan 180 

Eraser, Hon. C. F 185 

Ferguson, William 199 

Gerald, Ashael 169 

Gascoigne, Dr 183 

Garvey Family , 99 



PAGE 
Glassford Family ......................................... 100 

Holmes, Richard .................................... 103 

Holden Family ......................................... 106 

Halladay, B. L ..................... .................... 108 

Hourigan, lames ........................................ 113 

Hunt, James ............................................ 119 

Hendry, Dr .................. - ......................... 149 

Hough. George ......................................... 164 

Hulton Family ........................................ 165 

HuUon. George .............. , ......................... 165 

1 licock, 1 hilo .......................................... 123 

Hazelton. Jaine* .......................................... 126 

Him!, Col. Stephen ........................... .... 135 

1 i :u vs Family ................................... ... . 146 

Hayes, Joseph .......................................... 146 

Holton, Hon. L. H ...................................... 187 

Hough. J. \V ............................................ i<)8 

Haley Tamil}- ........................................... 200 

Irvine, fames C .......................................... "2 

Jones, Dr. J. W ..................................... 151 

Johns Family ....................................... 1 65 

Jessup Family ................................... . . 167 

Jones, W. I L ......................................... i3 .- 

I ohnston, Dr .......................................... 1 83 

Jackson, Dr ........................................ 183 

Jones Family (Branch) .................................... 1^3 

(ones, Sir Daniel ...................................... 184 

Jones, Dunham ..................... ................... 9 2 

Judson Family .............................. .......... 93 

Jones Family (Branch) .................................. 98 

Johnston, William ...................... .............. "6 

Johnston, Robert ....................................... 97 

Keefer, Samuel .......................................... 195 

Rincaid, John ........................................... 199 

Ketchum. John ................................. lol - 

Koyl Family .................... ............ ......... IOI 

Kelly, M ichael ........................................... 105 

Reeler Family ......................................... 109 

Keeler, James ........................................... 109 

Kilborn, John ................ .............. ............ t>8 

Rincaid Family .......................................... 75 

Kincaid, John- .......... ................................ 82 

Kelly, Dr ............................................ 152 

Kidd, T A ............................................ 136 

Lemon. Xeal ........................................... 102 

Longley Family ......................................... 75 

Loverin, Norris ......................................... 178 

Lothrop, F. L .......................................... 183 

Lucas, Rev. D. V .................................... 152 

Lucas, Mrs. D V ........................................ 1 52 

Laishley, Henry ........................................ 1 54 

Lane, Dr ............................................... 157 

Legge, Family .......................................... 1 28 

Legge, Joshua, Jr ........................ ............... 128 

Legge, Charles ......................................... 128 

Larue, Billa ............................................. I4 1 

Lane, John H ........................................... 144 

Lewis Family ........................................... 146 

Lewis. Coleman ......................................... 146 

Moore, Dr. V. H ........................................ 185 

Mordon, Dr. J. H ....................................... 187 

Miller, John C .......................................... 19 s 

McMulfen, John ......................................... 195 

McCren, Hiram ......................................... U7 

Mi I). maid, Family .............................. ...... 127 

McDonald, Hon. John .................................... 127 

McDonald. II. S." ....................................... 132 

Merrick, Henry ........................................... 138 

Manhard Family ........................................ 143 

McBratney, Stafford ...................................... H3 

McCrady Family ........................................ 145 

McLean, Dr ............................................ 15 



McMillan. Dr ............................................ 151 

Merrick, Dr ............................................ I5 2 

McCarthy Family ........................................ IS 8 

McCrea Family .......................................... 166 

Mirwin, Justice S ........................................ 169 

McKenzie, W .......................................... I7S 

McCammon, Samuel ..................................... I7 & 

Merrick, Dr ............................................ I?6 

Morris, Hon. James ...................................... 184 

McCrea Family ......................................... 9 

McCrea, Heman ......................................... 9 

McCrea, Colonel ......................................... 9 

McLean, John ........................................... 102 

Merriman, Joseph ......................................... 108 

Millar, James .................................... . ....... HO 

Miller, Samuel .......................................... 114 



VI. 



CONTENTS. 



Newman, George 137 

Norton, Hiram I4g 

Neddo, John Io g 

Olds Family IO i 

Parker, Dr I c ! 

Perry, Dr 

Preston, Dr. R. H 
Parmenter Family. 
Parmenter, C. L. 

Pardee, A. B 

Parcel 1, J. P 

George . . . 



[57 
125 

175 

75 
99 
108 

I ! 



08 



j j r 



Purvis, 

Pennock Family 
Purvis, Family. . 
Putnam Family.. 

Palmer, Henry ^7 

Pardee, Hon. T. B jgjj 

Potter, S. C 200 

Parish Family 

Robinson, Jeremiah 

Rathwell, Andrew JQ 

Rose, John n o 

Rorison Family Iol ^ 

Ripley Family ...!!. . !! 108 

Ripley, C. L IoS 

Read Family j ,-4 

Reynolds, James jg 2 

Richards, A. E jg 2 

Reynolds, E. J _ jg 2 

Reid Family j -.5 

Reid, J. K . .. . . . .. . . . . 136 

Riddell, William j ,q 

Richards, Sir William B t gg 

Richards, Lieutenant-Governor A. N jg6 

Shaver, J. A I2 r 



Struthers Family 
Seaman Family. . , 
Seaman, Stephen.. 
Shook, Adam .... 

Shipman Family 

Shipman, Nelson 

Stowell Family 

Stowell, Cyrenius ............................. 

Snyder, Solomon ................ 

Scott, Hon. R. W ....................... . ... . . . . .. . . . . . . 170 

Sherwood, Adiel ................................ t g 

Stuart, Rev. Dr ....................... ........... 2 g 

Schofield, James ....... 

Sliter, Hiel ................. .. . ... .. ... .. . . . . . . . . . . . .\\ 6, 

Sherwood Family ................... 72 

C~.,,,,l -- ,. I T> 

1 : 
" 



: , 

;. ; 
|: - : 



, . . 



Saunders, J. B 
Schorield, Fred 

Throop, B. X ... 

Taplin, S. A ............. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ", t \ g, 

Tett, Benjamin ................................. . . . . . . 106 

Tennant Family .............. .................. " I: , 

Tennant, George ............................... . . . tl , 

Tennant, David .................................... IT ^ 

Thompson, James .................................. jgg 

Thomas, Edward S .............................. : .g 

Vanornr.m Family ...... jg. 

Vaux " .................... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183 

Wright, A. A ............................... , g 

Wylie, Colonel D 
Williams, Dr 



5 



Walsh, Major ........................... 

Wood Family .............. 

Waldo Family .................................. . . . . . . . . 136 

\Valdron, Moses .......................... 

Whitmarsh, E. H ................... . . . ____ ...... 

Webster, William A ....... ....... 



, ,- 
,,, 



Wood, John F ................................... j l8 t 

Wright Family .............. 

Wiight, Asahel ............. 

Wells Family ....................... 

Weeks, Edward F .............. . . 

Wiltse Family. ......................... _ i| 

WjJtse, Captain Joseph ____ 

Wiltse, John ...................... 

Wickwire Family ............... 

Weatherhead Family ..... ....... ..,..., .... 



GENERAL INDEX. 



PAGE 

._ 



Algonquins 

Amherst 

Arnold, Benedict ^L 

Acts by Imperial Parliament Io 

Anderson, J oseph , . 

Adams, Samuel ,g 

Assessment of Rear of Leeds and Lansdowne . 6-5 

Avery, William j ^ 

Augusta, Township Officers of \ ,6j 

Ag.icultural Society, P irst County 2OO 

Brown, Rev. William 2 , 

Burritt, Colonel Stephen 

Baril, Point au .... ...... g 

Boat, Durham I2 

Boats, Schenectady I2 

Burgoyne s Defeat 

I. rockville, Capture of ,t 

Battle ol Windmill 

Bastard, First Settlers of J22 

Bastard, How iVaincd I2 - 

u m i ill s Kapids . , r 

Bishops Mills, First Settlers of. : ig 

Bass, Dr " jg o 

Brockville, Early History of . . . . 188-106 

Brook Lodge, I. O. O. F ....." 

Brockville Central Block 

Beacock & Co .... . . 

Best. Charles 197 

Brockville, Founded 

Cartier .... 



Caiaraqui 
Ciiamplain 



Chimney Island ...................................... g 

L li ippewa Creek ............................... g 

Creek, French ...................................... g 

Canada ............................................ 

Cataroqui .......................................... 

Canada, Upper and Lower ................................ Io 

Champlain .................................... I2 

Coate, Samuel ........................................ 2 g 

Church of England ................................... 2 g 

Cfturch, Lulheran .................................. 2 g 

Church, St Peler s ....................................... 2O _ 

Church, R. C ................................. 2 S 

Child, First Born North of the Rideau ...................... -j t 

Child, First Born in Leeds ................................ , j 

Cemetery, Brockville ..................................... J 2 

Causeway, near Farniersville .............................. ^ 

Canoe, Bark ...................................... I2 

Corps, Roger s ....................................... j r 

Corps, Jessup s .......................................... jg 

Court, First ............................................. 2I 

Church, Methodist ....................................... 24 

Class Meeting, First in Augusta ............................ 2 r 

Contercnce, Methodist, at Lyn ............................. 2 / 

Combustion, Spontaneous ................................. ^ 2 

Cole, I eter, Carrying Mails ............................... 53 

Council, District ......................................... j 4 

Councillors, Members of First District ...................... c^ 

Courts of iiequest ........................................ eg 

Churches of Lansdowne ................................... 62 

Camp Ground, St. Lawrence Central ....................... 67 

Cliff, River s ............................................ 67 

Church, Roman Catholic, at \Vestport ...................... 85 

Court, Firsl held in Wollord .............................. gn 

Church, Roman Catholic, at Cardinal ...................... ui 

Church, Roman Catholic, Kiiley ........................... 118 

Churches of Prescott ..................................... 170 

Crosby, North, Officers of, in 1831 ......... . ............... 179 

Connolly & True-love s Factory ....... . jgo 

Clark s Woolen Mill .......................... . .......... jgo 

Church, Canada ilcthodLt, Brockville ...................... 194 

Church, Trinity, Brockville .............................. 194 

Church, Baptist, Brockville ............................... 194 

Church, Methodist Episcopal, Brockville .................... 194 

Church, St. Francis Xavier, Brockville ..................... 194 

Church, St. John s (Presbyterian), Brockville ................ 195 

Church, St. James, Kemptville ............................ 199 

Church, Presbyterian, Kemptvilie .......................... 199 

Church, Roman Catholic, Kemptville ....................... 199 

Church of England in Augusta ............................. 200 

De Bearre ............................................... 7 

Dorchester ..................................... ..... 10 

Duncan ....................................... 1 2 

Dunham, Darius ........ , ................................ 24 

Don Lorenzo ..... ............................. ..... 25 



CONTENTS. 



_ vn. 



PAGE 

District of Johnstown, Population 1 1 

Divisions, First of Province 63 

Division, St Lawrence 65 

Dargavel, Robert 107 

Edwardsburg 8 

Karly Explorations II 

Elizabethtown, First Settlers of 178 

Fraser, Thomas 39 

Ferguson, Joseph 17 

Farmersville, Schools of 80 

Flint, Cynthia 158 

Gananoqui 8 

Gananoque, Indian Name 6 

Gananoque, Capture of 39 

Gowan, Ogle R 43 

Grenville, Townships II 

Gower, South 76 

(.lower, Settlers Previous to 1812 77 

Griffin, C. G 193 

dram, Fnsign James 77 

Ghost Story 88 

Gananoque, Early Settlement of 126 

Gourlay s Reports ^A 11-129 

Gananoque, Census of 1849 i .1 131 

Grenville, First Settlement of ^ . . .1 167 

Gananoqui, Industries of \. ^ 174 

Hurons 



Hochelaga ,* 9 

Hesse \..^...(\S i 

Holmes, Ninian jj/V. . fa 2? 

Holmes, Richard 3^ 

Holland, Major v* . . .Mi 17 

Hastings, George \V .. \. \ . \ I?9 

Hallaclay, Noah \V\tf ...... i?9 

Iroquois V 4 

Isle Royal 8 

Isle au Gallop 9 

Isle au Rapid Plat 9 

Isle Lower Long Saut 9 

Indian Supremacy 1 1 

Island, Barnhart s 8 

Island, Baxter s 8 

Island, Cornwall 9 

Iron, Made in Leeds 61 

Islands, Thousand 65 

Inscriptions on Monuments in Farmersville Cemetery 79 

Johnstown District Io 

Johnston, Sir William II 

Jones Creek 1 1 

Jesuits Among the Indians 5 

Jones, David 15 

Jones, Jonathan 15 

Jones, John 15 

Johnston, Bill 51 

Keeler, James 7 

Keeler, Sylvanus 2 5 

Kilborn, John, Account of War 34 

Kilborn, John, Reminiscences of 68 

Ktmptviilc, First Settler 136 

Le Cavon 5 

Lallemant 5 

La Galette 6 

Lake, Black 8 

Lake Chnmplain 8 

Lunenimrg 10 

Leed.- County, Townships and Population. . ( II 

ey L s tate II 

ists 13 

I ,a\vs 21 

Lemon, Major 4 

Lanil Grams to Soldiers 16-17 

Laws, Karly 21 

Lake, Charleston 84 

I-arrimer, Verne Francis I9 

Lombard) 1 115 

Land Board, Organized 127 

Landon, Oliver 139 

La Rue, Billa 141 

Lead Mine at Fcrmoy 179 

Leggett s Carriage \Vurks 194 

Moria 9 

Mecklenburg 10 

McCrea, Jane 15 

McDonald, Donald 15 

Methodists 24 

McDonald, Charles 39 

Mound at Spencerville and Augusta I 

Maitland Founded 8 



McNab, Allan 15 

McCrea, Story by Thomas 76 

Merrickville, Locks at 136 

Manhard, S 193 

McDougall, E 193 

Missionaries, Roman Catholic 5 

Marriages, First 31 

Methodist Churches, Early 26 

Magistrates, Courts of Request 59 

Morris, Hon. William 65 

Morris, Hon. James 65 

Mallory, Daniel 112 

Mormons, Life Among 124 

Mill, McDold s, Gananoque 126 

Merrill, S. B 171 

McGlade, M 193; 

Nassau 10 

Names, Ancient 22 

Nichols, Elder 121 

Newboro 125 

Newboro, Incorporated 179 

Ogdensbnrg 6 

Oswegatchie 8 

Ontario 8 

Ontario, Lake 12 

Oxford, Patents Granted to 1802 134. 

Orange Lodge, Lansdowne 139 

Observatory of Brockville 185 

Parish, William 3, 

Picquet 7 

Point de Baril 8 

Patents, Elizabethtown 15 

Presbyterians, Early 27 

Peel, Sir Robert, Burned 45 

Provinces IO 

Point au Pin 1 1 

Pillory 59. 

Parliament, Members of, from 1792 to 1879, Leeds and Grenville . 63. 

Paintings on Rocks of the St. Lawrence 66 

Park, Thousand Island 67 

Parish, William 115 

Poem, by Frederick Wright 155 

Prescott, Founded 167 

Preseott Telegraph 171 

Quakers 31 

Relics, Canadian i 

Relics in Augusta ..... i 

Relics in Edwardsburg 2 

Relics in Yonge 3 

Royal Highlanders 8 

River, Black 8 

River, St. Lawrence 8 

Reed, Obediah , 25 

Reynolds, John 26 

Rapid, Gallop 9 

Rapid, Plat 9 

Revenue, from 1775 to 1788 1 1 

River, Racquet 12 

- to Canada 12 

Regiment, Cardigan 16 

Reserves, Clergy 21 

Ryan, Elder 26 

Rebellion Losses 54 

Ripley, Thomas 107 

Rock, Marble 128 

River, Gananoque 131 

Reminiscences of 1837-38 163 

Rangers, Jessup s 167 

Reminiscence of Mrs. Fenton 199 

Springs, Massena 9 

Stuart, Rev. John , I r 

Sherwood, Thomas 15 

Settlers, Early, of Leeds and Grenville 15 

Summer, Hungry 22 

Smart. Rev. William 27 

Scholield, Dr. Peter 3 r 

St. Lawrence, Discovery of 5 

Smith s Island 6 

Surveys of Townships 17 

Simcoe, Arrival of Governor 32 

Sliter, Hiel 31 

Sessions, Quarter 58 

Sherwood, Hon. H 65 

Sherwood, Hon. George 65 

Spencer, David , 109 

Super, Timothy 117 

Stone, Joel 126 

Stages, Fi st I ine of 1 28, 



CONTENTS. 



Steamer, First on St. Lawrence 128 

Shields, George 193 

Southworth, A. S 193 

Starr, Gill & Company s Factory 194 

Tonihata . 6-8 

Toronto 9 

Townships, Numbered 17 

Temperance, First Add ress 31 

-nortation, Early, of Goods 53 

Townships, First Government of oo 

Tolls on Ferries 60 

Township of Rear of Leeds and Lnnsdowne 61 

Township of Rear of Vonge and Escott 78 

Township of South Crosby , . . . 107 

Township of Edwardsburg 109 

Township Officers, Edwardsburg, in 1813 in 

Township of Vonge Front 112 

Township of Elmsley South 115 

Township of Kitley 116 

Township of Bastard 120 

Township of Wolfoid 133 

Township of Oxford . 133 

Township of Elizabethtown 142 



PACE 

Township of South Gower 76 

Township of Marlborough 133 

Township of Montague 133 

Township of Leeds and Lansdowne Front 1 39 

Township of Escott 140 

Treasure, Search for 141 

The Long Ago 157 

Township of Augusta i =;<> 

Township of North Crosby 179 

Tompkins, George , 193 

United Empire Land Grants ij 

Ventacour 5 

Veterans of 1 812 ^[ 

Vannest, Rev., in Bastard 26 

Wiltse, IJenoni 

War of 1812 

... o j 

\\ ooster 25 

White, John 53 

Wardens. List of 54 

Warden s First Address 54 

Wnifi >rd, Township of . 86 

Wellington, Fort 168 

Windmill, The .168 



HISTORY 



OF 



LEEDS AND GRENVILLE 



BY THAD. W. H. LEAVITT. 



CHAPTER I. 

CANADIAN RELICS ANCIKNT INDIAN REMAINS IN 
AUGUSTA, EDWARDSBURG, AND RKAR i>y YOXCK 

AND ESCOTT. 

THE present age is pre-eminently characterized by 
a spirit of investigation and research, and in no 
department is this spirit more apparent than in that 
of History. To lift the veil which shrouds the 
misty past, and bring to light the facts connected 
with the birth and infant days of a nation, is a task 
possessing peculiar charms, not only to the anti 
quarian who traces the footsteps well worn by 
time, but also to those who love the legendary 
tales of long ago. Canada is rich in pre-historic 
mounds, in scattered relics, in memorable adven 
tures, in pioneer struggles, but, above all, in the 
half-forgotten and never-recorded sufferings, priva 
tions, and heroism of the " King s Men," known as 
United Empire Loyalists. The history of an 
empire is but the combined history of its provinces ; 
the history of its provinces the epitome of its 
several counties and townships. Proof is not 
wanting that Ontario was at one time the home 
of a race similar in civilization to the tribes 
inhabiting Peru, Central America, and Mexico, and 
who left behind them architectural and other 
remains, which the aborigines were unable to 
explain to their conquerors, the Spaniards. The 
higher types of ruined temples and other edifices 
were found in the low latitudes, while the ruder 
monuments of New Mexico were succeeded by the 
rock sculptures eastward of the Alleghanies, the 
mounds, embankments, and ditches stretching along 
the valley of the Mississippi and northward into 
Canada. These remains have been variously 
ascribed to Tartar, Hebrew, and Celtic origins, 
and also to a supposed migration of A/tecs 
from some undefined northern region, or from 
Kamtschaka, beyond Behring s Straits. Of the 
origin of such specimens of aboriginal art, the 



Indians could furnish not the slightest explanation, 
though they possessed dim legends relating to a 
superior race, which occupied the fertile portions of 
the country long ago, and had been extirpated 
in a great war. The earthworks were undoubtedly 
of a defensive character, generally consisting of an 
embankment and exterior ditch, of varying dimen 
sions, with approaches artfully concealed. When 
not erected so as to enclose springs, provision was 
made for artificial reservoirs for holding water in 
case of a seige. 

In July, 1854, \V. E. Guest, Esq., made a visit 
to the mound in the vicinity of Spencerville, in the 
County of Grenville, furnishing a report for the 
Smithsonian Institution at Washington, said report 
being subsequently published, and from which we 
quote : 

" Hundreds and thousands of years before the 
white man s foot had pressed the soil of the New 
World, there lived and flourished a race of men 
who called this continent their home. Had they 
a written history, what deeds of chivalry might we 
not peruse ! What tales of forest ! Alas ! for their 
glory, their ardor, and their pride ! 

They have all passed away, 

That noble race and brave, 
Their light canoes have vanished 
From ofl the crested wave. 

* * * * But 
Their name is on your waters, 
You may not wash it out, 

" One of the principal mounds in Canada is 
situated in the Township of Augusta, about eight 
and a-half miles north-west of Prescott, on a farm 
formerly occupied by Mr. Tarp. The work is 
almost eighty rods in length, its greatest width 
twenty rods. The westerly part has a half-moon 
embankment extending some ten rods across a neck 
of land, terminating to the north in a swamp, and 
to the south-west near the edge of a creek. It has 
three openings, which are from twenty to twenty- 
five feet wide. Upon this embankment there is a 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



pine stump four and a-half feet across, with 
roots extending over the embankments, showing 
that it has grown then: since the erection of the 
earthwork. Tins place, from present appearances 
was doubtless the only one approachable by land, 
and a rise of a few feet of water, almost surrounding 
the work, would insulate it, and add much to its 
defence. The eastern and southern portions, where 
there are tumuli, and where, from appearances, the 
inhabitants resided, i : ; from fifteen to eighteen feet 
above, and descends abruptly to the now swampy 
grounds. On the north is a large tamarack swamp, 
which is :-;.id to contain about twelve thousand 
acres. The Nation River is about a mile to the 
north-west, and the intervening land is low, while 
the south-east and south ground rises gently at t 
distance of fifty or eighty rods. The soil on this 
table land is rich, and at every step evidences are 
present of its having been at one time thickly 
inhabited. The ground is strewn with broken 
pieces of earthenware, and hollow and smooth 
pieces of stone, doubtless used for culinary pur 
poses. The timber, which was mostly pine, except 
a small portion on the westerly part, is all cut down 
indeed the original forest is entirely gone within 
the enclosure proper. The tumuli are four in 
number, situate at the corners of a parallelogram, 
containing between one and two acres of ground, 
within which are to be seen the regular streets and 
lines of a village. Outside of the mounds, on three 
sides, are double lines of circumvallation ; on the 
fourth side, which faces the south-east side, there is 
but one. The elevations of ground which we have 
called tumuli are but slightly raised above the 
genera! level, say from two to four feet. On 
opening these mounds they are found to be com 
posed of earth, charcoal, and ashes, and containing 
human bones, pointed bones from the leg of the 
deer, horns and skulls of the same animals, human 
skulls, bones of the beaver, muscle shells of the 
genus I nio, such as are now found on the shores of 
the St. Lawrence River, and which were doubtless 
used as food, since they are very common about 
such mounds. With these there were great quan 
tities of earthenware, some being of the most 
elaborate workmanship. On the surface of the 
ground were scattered numbers of smooth pieces 
of quart/ and sandstones. One stone on a boulder 
of hornblendic gneiss was hollowed out into a 
cavity of sixteen inches in length, twelve in 
breadth, and four and a-half inches in depth ; had it 
not been broken cff at one end, it would probably 
have held a gallon. i"n>m the tumuli have been 
exhumed a large variety of bones arid bone points, 
broken pieces of pottery, pipes, needles, and part of 



the tooth of a walrus, having holes drilled through 
it as though it had been used for an instrument. 

"The other work, situated in the Township of 
Kdwardsburg, near Spencerville, on an elevated 
piece of ground, is well chosen for defence, and 
overlooks the surrounding country to a great 
distance. It consists of an embankment in the 
shape of a moccasined foot, the heel pointing to 
the south, and enclosing about three and a-half 
acres of ground ; the location being the front half 
of Lot 27, in the Seventh Concession of Edwards- 
burg. This enclosure has been cultivated for 
several years. Some parts of the embankment 
i rom two to three feet high. On these there 
are some enormous pine stumps, one of which is 
ly hve feet in diameter. Many pieces of pottery 
have been found in the enclosure, similar to those 
discovered in Augusta ; also pieces of clay pipes, one 
of them richly ornamented, and a stone implement 
sharpened to a point, which was doubtless used for 
dressing skins. There are also human bones scat 
tered over the field, which the plow has turned up. 
The terra cotta found here is elabo rate in its 
workmanship, and is as hard as the stoneware of 
the present day. It seems to be composed of quartz 
pounded up and mixed with clay, which adds to its 
hardness ; and as to beauty of shape, some of the 
restored articles will compare favorably with those 
shown in the Italian Department at the Centennial. 
These vessels have been found from four to eight 
and three-quarter inches in diameter. Mr. Guest 
also found a few rounded pieces of pottery in the 
shape of coin, about the size of a quarter of a 
dollar and less, as well as some rounded pieces of 
stealite, with holes through the centre. He also 
discovered one beautifully polished bone needle, 
about five inches long, with an eye rudely per 
forated, and a piece of ivory in the shape of a knife, 
made of a shark s tooth, which had some marks 
upon it, transversely, by which the owner evidently 
intended to identify it. In a subsequent visit, he 
also obtained an earthen pipe complete, and a piece 
of human skull with several notches cut in its edge, 
md evidently intended for a saw, The great size 
>f the tree-;, the sturnps of which remain upon the 
embankment, are, in some degree, chronological 
evidences of the long time that has elapsed since 
these monuments were erected ; and the fact Of the 
>ones of the walrus and shark being found, shows 
.he acquaintance of the original occupants with the 
sea ; while the entire absence of stone pipes and 
irrow heads of the same material (which belong 
o a later age, properly designated the Indian), as 
veil as the entire deficiency of metals, or anything 
European to connect them with the Western or 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



Southern tribes, and the significant fact that no 
remains of a similar kind have been found upon 
the borders of the St. Lawrence, but that they are 
ahvays situated upon terraces, from one hundred 
and twenty feet (the height of these) to two hundred 
feet above the present level of the water, is all strong 
proof of their antiquity, compared with those of a 
much lower level, in which, to this day, stone pipes 
and copper articles are found. Further investiga 
tion may change this view, but facts at present 
would seem to point to a time, previous to the 
breaking away of the great northern barrier, when 
the sea was on a level with some of the terraces of 
Lake Ontario." 

In the Township of the Rear of Yonge, County of 
Leeds, about one mile south of the Village of 
Farmersville, is the remains of an antique causeway. 
It emerges distinctly in the swamp opposite the 
residence of John Wiltse, Esq., and runs south-west 
in the direction of Charleston Lake, crossing the 
highway but a little distance from the stream 
flowing into Mud Lake. The causeway was 
evidently intended for a road, being perfectly 
straight ; and, although the fields through which it 
passes have been under cultivation for a number of 
years, yet its course is easily traced, being raised 
about one foot above the surrounding land, and in 
many places paved with round stones in a way that 
would have done credit to the ancient builders of 
military highways, viz., the Romans. In the swamp, 
the causeway has growing upon it at the present 
time elm trees between two and three feet in 
diameter. When the township was first settled by 
Benoiii Wiltse and Wm. Parish, they questioned 
the Indians as to the origin of the structure, but 
could obtain no satisfactory answer. In its construc 
tion considerable engineering skill was displayed, 
and a vast amount of labor expended, it being 
graded sufficiently well for a railway. It may have 
been the line of communication between two 
important centres of population, and is probably 
the vestage of a proud and once powerful race, 
whose unwritten history may never be fully 
revealed. It is only by the careful collection and 
preservation of facts, minute though they may be 
in detail, that a sufficiency of data will be gathered 
from which some future historian may do justice to 
the earlier inhabitants of this continent, and erect 
a beautifully proportioned and massive ethnological 
structure. A curtain is drawn over the past, yet 
these traces of civilization are indicative of great 
antiquity mute but eloquent symbols of nations 
and tribes,- who have left as a legacy to their Anglo- 
Saxon successors one of the most stupendous, 
lived problems of the age England has sent 



to the " Far East " scholars who have deciphered 
Assyrian hieroglyphics and unrolled the scrolls 
buried for ages beneath the sands of time. Canada 
awaits the advent of one who shall, by unclisputable 
evidence from mound and monument, unfold the 
history which so far has defied the genius of her 
most gifted sons. We can only conclude that since 
this continent upheaved from the fathomless abyss, 
there have been the decline and fall of empires, the 
sway of mighty nations, succeeded by the rule of 
the barbaric Indian culture giving place to savage 
bravery, knowledge to brute force, until, on the 
arrival of the European, all that remained of the 
magnificence of the past were scattered relics and 
vague, misty legends. 



CHAPTER II. 

THE INDIANS TKII;K,S IN CANADA AI.HONOTINS 
Iiioouois HUKOX Vu.i. M;K. 

Art MRDINC. to Parkman, the best authority con 
cerning Indian history, a war of extermination had 
been raging between the various native tribes 
previous to the arrival of Europeans. Races, 
languages, and customs were constantly undergoing 
marked changes ; tribes were driven thousands of 
miles to new hunting grounds, and pursued with an 
unrelenting vengeance, which was a ruling charac 
teristic of the aborigines. The number of tribes 
occupying the present area of Canada was legion. 
Generally speaking, the country from the Mississippi 
to the Atlantic seaboard, and extending northward 
to the Hudson Bay country, was divided between 
two great nations. The Algonquins held possession 
of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Quebec, a portion 
of the Northern and Eastern States, and also a vast 
country in the vicinity of the upper lakes. In the 
centre of this broad domain was situated the " Long 
House" of the Iroquois, or Five Nations, who 
claimed the country stretching from the Hudson to 
the Genesce, and whose name as a tribal family has 
been indelibly stamped upon the pages of Canadian 
history. The Hurons, at one time a warlike and 
powerful people, occupied a small district in On 
tario, in the vicinity of Lake Huron, Lake Simcoc, 
and the River Severn. 

The following description of a Huron village is 
from the pen of Parkman: "In shape their dwell 
ings were much like an arbor over-arching a garden 
walk. Their frame was of tall and strong sapiings, 
planted in a double row to form the two sides of 
(he house, bent till thev met and lashed together;:! 
the- top. To these other pol<- >ound trans 

versely, and the whole was covered with lar^r shi 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



of bark of the oak, elm, spruce, or white cedar, 
overlapping like the shingles of a roof, upon which, 
for their better security, split poles were made fast 
with cords of linden bark. At the crown of the 
arch, along the entire length of the house, an open 
ing a foot wide was left for the admission of light 
and the escape of smoke. Within, on both sides, 
were wide scaffolds, four feet from the floor, and 
extending the entire length of the house. These 
were formed of thick sheets of bark, supported by 
posts, and covered with mats and skins. The fires 
were on the ground, in a line down the middle of 
the house. The house was one chamber, sometimes 
lodging more than twenty families. He who 
entered on a winter night beheld a strange spec 
tacle : the vista of fire lighting the smoky concave, 
the bronzed group encircling each, cooking, eating, 
gambling, or amusing themselves with idle badin 
age ; shrivelled squaws, hideous with threescore 
years of hardship ; grisly old warriors, scarred with 
Iroquois war-clubs ; young aspirants, whose honors 
were yet to be won ; damsels gay with ochre and 
wampum ; restless children and restless dogs. Now 
a tongue of resinous flame painted each wild 
feature in vivid light ; now the fitful gleam expired, 
and the group vanished from sight, as their nation 
vanished from history. The situation of their forts 
was chosen favorable for defence the bank of a 
lake, the crown of a difficult hill, or a high point of 
land in the fork of confluent rivers. A ditch several 
feet deep was dug around the village, and the earth 
thrown up on the inside. Trees were then felled by 
an alternate process of burning and hacking, and 
by similar means cut into lengths to form palisades. 
These were planted on the embankment, in one, 
two, or three those of each row inclining to those 
of the other row until they intersected. The 
whole was lined within, to the height of a man, 
with heavy sheets of bark ; and at the top, where 
the palisades crossed, was a gallery of timber for 
the defenders, together with wooden gutters, by 
which streams of water could be poured down on 
fires kindled by the enemy, Magazines of stones, 
and rude ladders for mounting the ramparts, com 
pleted the provision for defence." 

It has been said that the Iroquois was the Indian 
of Indians. Undoubtedly he was a finished and 
developed savage, and from the geographical posi 
tion of the country he occupied commanding the 
great lakes and the sources of streams flowing into 
the Mississippi and the Atlantic possessed a 
decided advantage over rival tribes, which he 
perfectly understood and profited by. Parkman 
says, in speaking of these people: The number 
of sachems, or principal chiefs, varied in the several 



nations from eight to fourteen. The sachems of 
the Five Nations, fifty in all, assembled in council, 
formed the government of the confederacy. All 
met as equals, but a peculiar dignity was always 
attached to the Atotarho of the Onondagas. There 
was a class of subordinate chiefs, in no sense heredi 
tary, but rising to office by address, ability, or valor. 
Yet the rank was clearly defined, and the new chief 
installed at a formal council. This class embodied, 
as might be supposed, the best talent of the nation, 
and the most prominent of the warriors and orators 
of the Iroquois have belonged to it. In its char 
acter and functions, however, it was purely civil. 
Like the sachems, these chiefs held their councils, 
and exercised an influence proportionate to their 
numbers and abilities." 

There was another council, between which and 
that of the subordinate chiefs the line of demarcation 
seems not to have been very definite. The Jesuit, 
Lafitan, calls it " The Senate." He describes it as 
the central or controlling power, so far, at least, as 
the separate nations were concerned. In its char 
acter it was essentially popular, but popular in the 
best sense, and one which can find its application 
only in a small community. Any man took part in 
it whose age and experience qualified him to do so. 
It was merely the gathered wisdom of the nation. 
Lafitan compared it to the Roman Senate, in the 
early and rude age of the Republic, and affirms that 
it loses nothing by the comparison. He thus de 
scribes it : " It is a greasy assemblage, sitting SHI- 
lair (/i-n-icre, crouched like apes their knees as high 
as their ears, or lying, some on their bellies, some 
on their backs, each with a pipe in his mouth, dis 
cussing affairs of state with as much coolness and 
gravity as the Spanish Junta or the Grand Council 
of Venice." The young warriors had also their 
councils ; so, too, had the women ; and opinions 
and wishes of each were represented by means of 
deputies before " the Senate," or council of old men, 
as well as before the Grand Confederate Council of 
the Sachems. 

"The government of this unique republic resided 
wholly in councils. By councils all questions were 
settled, all regulations established social, political, 
military, and religious. The war-path, the chase, 
the council-fire in these was the life of the 
Iroquois ; and it is hard to say to which of the 
three he was most devoted. The Great Council 
of Fifty Sachems formed, as we have seen, the 
government of the league. Whenever a subject 
arose before any of the nations, of importance 
enough to demand its assembling, the sachems of 
that nation might summon their colleagues by 
means of runner,, hearing messages and belts of 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



wampum. The usual place of meeting was the 
Valley of Onondaga, the political, as well as the 
geographical, centre of the Confederacy. 

Would the Iroquois, left undisturbed to work 
out their own destiny, ever have emerged from the 
savage state ? Advanced, as they were, beyond 
most other American tribes, there is no indication 
whatever of a tendency to overpass the confines of 
a wild hunter and warrior life. They were inveter- 
ately attached to it impracticable conservatists of 
barbarism, and in ferocity and cruelty they matched 
the worst of their race. Nor did the power of 
expansion apparently belonging to their system 
ever produce much result. Between the years 1712 
and 1715, the Tuscaroras, a kindred people, were 
admitted in the league as a sixth nation ; but they 
were never admitted on equal terms. Long after, 
in the period of their decline, several other tribes 
were announced as new members of the league ; 
but these admissions never took effect. Their 
prisoners of war, when they had burned and 
butchered as many of them as would serve to sate 
their own ire, and that of their women, were 
divided man by man, woman by woman, and 
child by child, adopted into different families and 
clans, and then incorporated into the nation. It 
was by this means, and this alone, that they could 
offset the losses of their incessant wars. Early in 
the eighteenth century, and even long before, a 
vast proportion of their population consisted of 
adopted prisoners." 



CHAPTER III. 

THE DISCOVKKY OK CANADA CARTIF.R CHAMPI.AIX. 
IN the spring of 1534, Jacques Cartier, a French 
navigator, sailed from St. Malo, with two small 
vessels, manned by 61 men. At the end of twenty 
days Newfoundland was reached. Penetrating the 
Strait of Belle Isle, they entered the " Bale des 
Chaleurs," and, on the 24th of July, landed on the 
coast now known as Gaspe. After a short voyage 
of exploration, Cartier returned to France ; sailing 
on a second voyage the following year. On the 
loth of August, he entered a bay at the mouth of 
the River St. John, to which he gave the name of 
St. Lawrence, having entered it on the festival 
of that saint. The next principal navigator whose 
name is associated with the history of this country 
is Champlain. In the colonization of Canada, the 
plan pursued, and the objects aimed at, were of a 
totally different nature from those adopted in the 
Eastern States. The colony was semi-military and 
semi-religious. Roman Catholic missionaries tra 
versed the country in all directions, suffered the 



greatest hardships, and, in many instances, paid 
the forfeit of their lives in vain attempts to convert 
the Indians to Christianity. A chain of forts was 
constructed, stretching from Quebec to Florida, 
and including posts on Hudson Bay and the 
North-West. Overlooking the practical aims of 
colonization, the Jesuits faltered not in their zeal 
for their holy calling. Their way to missions was 
" pathless and long, by rock and torrent and the 
gloom of savage forests. The goal was more dreary 
yet. Toil, hardship, famine, filth, sickness, solitude, 
insirlt all that is most revolting to men nurtured 
among arts and letters, all that is most terrible to 
monastic training such were the promise and 
reality of the missions. Bold to carry the Cross in 
the midst of merciless foes, they never faltered. 
Their lives were a noble example of Christian 
heroism and self-sacrifice." Their aim was to lay 
the foundations of French dominion in the heart 
and conscience of the savage. His stubborn neck 
was to be subdued to the yoke of faith. The 
power of the priest established, that of the temporal 
ruler was secure. These sanguinary hordes, weaned 
from intestine strife, were to unite in a common 
allegiance to God and the King. Mingled with 
French traders and French settlers, softened by 
French manners, guided by French priests, ruled 
by French officers, their now divided bands would 
become the constituents of a vast wilderness empire, 
which, in time, might span the continent. Spanish 
civilization crushed the Indian ; English civilization 
scorned and neglected him ; French civilization 
embraced and cherished him." 

In 1614, Champlain secured the services of four 
Recollects to convert the Indians ; these were the 
first missionaries who visited Acadia. In the cele 
brated expedition against the Iroquois, in which 
Champlain was wounded, he was accompanied by 
Father Joseph Le Cavon. In 1625, the Duke de 
Ventadour sent over Father Lallemant and four 
other priests and laymen, of the order of the Jesuits, 
who were hospitably received by the Recollects. In 
the following year, settlers and artizans began to 
arrive ; also three Jesuits, when the settlement 
began to assume the appearance of a town. From 
this time forward, every canton of the Iroquois and 
village of the Hurons had its missionary, as well as 
depot for the collection of furs. As a natural 
sequence, there followed the establishment of mili 
tary po:;ts ; the St. Lawrence becoming the highway 
by which the French travelled to their distant out 
posts. 

The first military post of any importance erected 
above Montreal was at Cataraqui, now Kingston. 
In the Journal of Count de Frontenac, a minute 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



account is preserved of the wild scenery of the St 
Lawrence nearly two centuries ago. The following 
extract is taken from the Documentary History <>f 
New York : 

" On the 4th, the route passed through the most 
delightful country in the world. The river was 
spangled with islands, on which were only oaks and 
hardwood ; the soil is admirable, and the banks of 
the mainland on the north and south shores are 
equally handsome, the timber being very clean and 
loft\ - , forming a forest equal to the most beautiful 
in France. Both banks of the river are lined with 
prairies, full of excellent grass, interspersed with an 
infinity of beautiful flowers ; so that it may be 
asserted, there would not be a more lovely country 
in the world, than that from. Lake St. Francis to the 
head of the rapids, were it cleared. 

" Made three leagues up to noon, and halted at a 
spot more delightful than any we had yet seen. It 
was close to the little channel, which stretches along 
the.sault on the north side, and opposite the mouth 
of a river by which the people go to Mohawk 
(Raquette River.) 

" On the Eleventh, a good day s jwurney was 
made, having passed all that vast group of islands 
with which the river is spangled, and camped at a 
point above the river, called by the Indians, Oniion- 
dakoui* (Gananoqui), up which many of them go 
hunting. It has a- very considerable channel." 

The narrative concludes with a glowing account 
of the Count s reception of the nations at Cataraqui. 
From this time forward, the St. Lawrence became 
the highway for French voyagers, who carried on 
a traffic with the Indians. They established a post 
at La Galcttc (meaning, in the French language, a 
muffin, or cake), at a spot in the vicinity of Johns 
town, a short distance below Prescott. This was 
the first actual settlement made in Leeds and 
Grenville. Some authorities claim that the post 
was situated on Chimney Island, but the strongest 
evidence points to the mainland as the resting-place, 
after surmounting the rapids. 

French history explains that DC la Harrc, in 
devising schemes for the conquest of the Iroquois, 
indicated the necessity of posting troops at La 
Gafftte, as well as at Frontenac ; and in the cele 
brated expedition of that Governor, in 1684, it is 
mentioned as one of the stopping places, this indi 
cating that, at that early date, it possessed a local 
habitation and a name. 

In 1720-21, Father Charlevoix, a Jesuit, undertook, 
by the command of the King of France, a journey 
through Canada. The following is translated from 



i ; from the Huron, OugA-seanoto, a deer. 



a letter dated " Cataroqiti, 141)1 May, 1721," and 
published at Paris, in 1744 : 

"Above the Buisson, the river is a mile wide, and 
lands on both sides are very good and wooded. 
They begin to clear those which are on the north 
side ; and it would be easy to make a road, which 
is over against the Island of Montreal, to a bay, 
which they call La Galetta. They will shun by this 
forty leagues of navigation, which the falls render 
almost impracticable and very tedious. A fort would 
be much better situated, and more necessary, at La 
Galetta, than at Catamccnii, because a single canoe 
cannot pass here without being seen, whereas at 
Catarocoiii they may slip behind the islands without 
being observed." 

The worthy Father then proceeds to give a 
description of his journey up the St. Lawrence : 

"Five or six leagues from La Galetta is an island 
called Tonihata (supposed to be Smith s Island, one 
mile above Brockville), where the soil appears to be 
fertile. An Iroquois, whom they call the Quaker 
I know not why, a very sensible man, and very 
affectionate to the French, obtained the domain of 
it from the late Count de Frontenac, and shows his 
patent of concession to whoever wishes to see it 
He has, nevertheless, sold the lordship for four pots 
of brandy, but has reserved to himself all other 
profits of the land, and has assembled here eighteen 
or twenty families of his nation. I arrived on the 
1 2th, at this island, and paid him a visit. I found 
him laboring in his garden, which is not the custom 
of the savages, but he affects all the customs of the 
French. He received me very kindly, and wished 
to regale me ; but the beauty of the weather invited 
me to prosecute my journey. I took my leave of 
him, and went to pass the night two leagues from 
there, in a very fine place. We passed through the 
midst of a kind of archipelago, which they call Mill,: 
Isles (Thousand Isles.) I believe there arc about 
five hundred. When we had passed these, we had 
a league and a-half to reach Catarocoui (Kingston)." 
In the City of Ogdensburg may be seen the ruins 
of a broken wall and the foundations of a mission 
louse, erected more than a century ago by the 
French, who, being at the time masters of Canada, 
attemped by this means to convert the Iroquois to 
Roman Catholic faith, and thus induce them to 
espouse the French cause, in the great struggle 
Toing on between La Belle France and England, 
:or supremacy in the new world. The corner-stone 
)f the original mission house is now in the posses 
sion of a citizen of Ogdensburg, and bears the 
ollowing inscription : 

/// nomine -\- /),-i Omnipotciitis, 
jlnic haHlnlloni inilia dalit, 
J- rans l i,-<inct, 1749. 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



Translated, this reads as follows : Francis Pic- 
quet laid the foundation of this habitation, in the 
name of the Almighty God, in 1749." Thesebuild- 
ings were subsequently occupied by a British 
garrison, and also as court-house, gaol, and barracks. 
The first French Governor of the fort was the great 
grandfather of James Keeler, Esq., of Edwardsburg. 
The fort was named La Presentation, and subse 
quently played an important part in keeping up 
communication by land between the St. Lawrence 
and Lake Champlain. The French spared no efforts 
in attempting to withdraw the Iroquois from inter 
course with the English, sending Father Ragueneau 
to Onondaga in 1657-8 ; Isaac Joques, to the 
Mohawks, in 1646 ; Frs. Jos. Lemercier to Onon 
daga, in 1656-8 ; Frs. Duperon to Onondaga, in 
1657-8; Simon Le Moine to Onondaga, in 1654, 
and subsequently to the Mohawks and Senecas ; 
and many more, whose efforts were crowned with 
partial success. 

As a result of the efforts put forth by the 
missionaries, a part of the Mohawk tribe, in 1675-6, 
emigrated to the Saut St. Louis, in the vicinity of 
Montreal. The room in which Charlevoix dwelt 
while at this mission of the Saut St. Louis is still 
pointed out to visitors ; and the table on which he 
wrote, forms a part of the furniture of the priest s 
house at that mission. 

The establishment of the missionary station and 
fort at the mouth of the River La Presentation 
(Soegatzy) (Oswegatchie), is described as follows, in 
the Documentary History of New York, the trans 
lation having been made at Paris by a special agent 
of that State : 

"A large number of Iroquois savages having 
declared their willingness to embrace Christianity, 
it has been proposed to establish a mission in the 
vicinity of Fort Frontenac. Abbe Picquet, a zealous 
missionary, in whom the nations have evinced much 
confidence, is especially fitted for the task." 

Nevertheless, Ogdensburg was subsequently se 
lected. 

The account says : " Father Picquet arrived at the 
River de la Presentation (1749), called Soegat/y, 
with twenty-five Frenchmen and four Iroquois 
Indians. He set about building a stone house to 
secure his effects. He next had erected a small 
fort of pickets, and a small house constructed, to 
serve as a bastion 

"In due time, five cannon, of two-pound calibre, 
were sent to the Abbe for his little fort, so as to 
give confidence to his Indians, and persuade them 
that they would be in security." 

The precautions were well taken, for on the 26th 
October, 1749, a band of savages, believed to have 



been Mohawks, attacked the mission, which was 
only saved by a detachment being sent thither from 
Fort Frontenac. The French believed that the 
attack was instigated by the English, who beheld 
with alarm the erection of a post, by a hostile 
nation, within the borders of the Iroquois country. 

In 1751, Father Picquet, having strongly fortified 
his position, commenced the erection of a saw-mill 
the first one built upon the shores of the St. 
Lawrence. 

On the i9th of June, 1754, there assembled at 
Albany, a congress of representatives from the 
several English colonies, to devise a plan of union, 
for common defence against the encroachments of 
the French. The following is one of the statements 
agreed upon by the council : 

" That they (the French) are continually drawing 
off the Indians from the British interest, and have 
lately persuaded one-half of the Onondaga tribe, 
with many from the other nations along with them, 
to remove to a place called Oswegatchie, where they 
have built them a church and fort ; and many of 
the Senecas, the most numerous nation, appear 
wavering, and rather inclined to the French ; and it 
is a melancholy consideration, that not more than 
150 men of all the several nations have attended this 
treaty, though they had notice that all the Govern 
ments would be here by Commissioners, and that a 
large present would be given." 

In July, 1755, a French regiment, under De 
Bearre, ascended the St. Lawrence for the purpose 
of operating against the British. The Abbe Picquet 
joined this expedition, with twenty-eight warriors, 
proceeding to the Island of Tonti. Several prisoners 
were taken, and with them Picquet proceeded to 
Montreal. 

In several other engagements the name of this 
indefatigable missionary is mentioned, the French 
authorities heaping upon him the highest enco- 
niums ; the English uniting in declaring that he 
was all that was vile, because he employed the 
Indians in making attacks upon defenceless settle 
ments. That lie was actuated by patriotic 
sentiments, no one can doubt. With zeal unabated,, 
and energy untiring, lie labored in behalf of his 
religion and the cause of his King. The conversion 
of the savages was the ruling passion cf his life ; and 
to secure that end, he no doubt resorted to means 
which disregarded the common claims of humanity. 

La Presentation was the centre from which wen- 
sent out scalping parties, that harrassed the English 
settlements on the Mohawk, during the years 1758-9, 
and finally led to the organization of an expedition 
under General Gage, to crush the fortress, and 
disperse the Indians who resided there. The 



8 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



commander in charge of the English, finding man} 
difficulties to be overcome, abandoned the cam 
paign. The fall of Quebec, in 1759, however 
changed the plans of the English commanders, 
and led to three expeditions for the conquest 
of the French posts in the interior. One 
ascended the St. Lawrence from Quebec ; the 
second advanced upon Montreal, from Lake Cham- 
plain ; while the third, under Amherst, came down 
from Oswego, and encountered on the way the 
strong fortress of Isle Royal. This fortress had 
been constructed during the previous year, 1759, by 
M. the Chevelier de Levis, on an island called by 
the Indians, Oraconenton (Chimney Island), situated 
about a league above the rapids, and named after 
the founder. The expedition under Amherst con 
sisted of the following troops : 

The First and Second Battalions of the Royal 
Highlanders. 

Forty-fourth Regiment. 

Forty-sixth. 

Fifty-fifth. 

Fourth Battalion of the Sixtieth. 

Eight companies of the Twenty-seventh. 

Five of the Eightieth. 

Five hundred and ninety-seven Grenadiers. 

One hundred and forty.six Rangers. 

Three Battalions of the New York Regiment. 

New Jersy Regiment. 

Four Battalions of the Connecticut Regiment, 
and one hundred and sixty-seven of the Royal 
Artillery, amounting, in the whole, to ten thousand 
one hundred and forty-two effective men, officers 
included. 

The Indians, under Sir William Johnston, were 
seven hundred and six. 

On the 1 3th of June, the force reached Point an 
Baril, a French post situated just above the site of 
the present village of Maitland, supposed to be the 
point directly opposite the residence of George 
Longley, Esq. In consequence of the exposed 
position of La Presentation, the French had con 
structed at Point au Baril a very good dry dock, in 
which they built their vessels, and also a commo 
dious wharf. La Presentation had been dismantled, 
the guns being taken to Fort Levis. The grenadiers 
and light infantry, with the row gallies, seized upon 
La Presentation ; and preparations were made for 
attacking the French stronghold. 

From a map in Mante s History of the War in 
Canada, it appears that the English army were 
encamped on Indian Point, opposite the island, 
where batteries were erected on the north shore. 
Batteries were also opened on the islands under the 
Canadian shore, and detached posts established 



opposite Galloo Island and upon a small island 
above. A determined assault was made on the 
23rd, but in consequence of an accident to the 
Onondaga, which ran aground, the General was 
compelled to suspend operations. On the 25th, M. 
Pouchet, the Commandant, beat a parley, and 
shortly after surrendered the garrison as prisoners 
of war. With the fall of Fort Levis, ceased the 
French dominion in St. Lawrence County. The 
fortress was dismantled, and the island held by a 
small guard of British troops ; but afterwards sur 
rendered, in accordance with the stipulations of 
Jay s Treaty. Several stoves, the property of the 
French, are, at the present time, in use in the Town 
ship of Edwardsburg, having been removed from 
the island after it passed into the hands of the 
British. We are informed by Mr. James Keeler, 
that, upon several occasions, fishermen have seen at 
the bottom of the river, cannon, either thrown from 
the fort, or belonging to vessels that took part in 
the attack. 

INDIAN NAMKS OF PLACES. 

We are indebted to Dr. Hough s History of 
Franklin and St. Lawrence Counties for the follow 
ing table : 

Black River Ni-ka-hi-on-ha-ko-wa : " Big River." 

Chippewa Creek Tsi-o-hc-ri-scn. This name also 
applies to Indian Hut Island. 

French Creek A-tcn-ha-i-a-lm<fh-ta-re. The place 
where the fence or wall fell down. 

Gananoqui Not Iroquois ; supposed to be 
Huron, and said to mean "Wild potatoes." Kah- 
non-no-kwen : "A meadow rising out of the water." 

Oswegetchie Swckatsi ; supposed to be a cor 
rupted Huron word, meaning " Black water." This 
river in olden times was also known as Black River. 

St. Lawrence River Cat-a-ro-t/iti ; said to be 
French or Huron. On Morgan s map, Ga-na-wa-^e. 

Tionaia A small tributary of the St. Lawrence, 
above Brockville (Jones Creek) ; signifies beyond a 
point. 

Black Lake O-tsi-kwa-ke . " Where the ash tree 
grows with large knobs, for making clubs." 

Champlain Ro-tsi-icli-ni : "The Coward Spirit." 
The Iroquois are said to have possessed an obscure 
mythological notion of three supreme beings, or 
spirits the " Good Spirit," the " Bad Spirit," and 
the "Coward Spirit." The latter inhabited an 
sland in Lake Champlain, where it died ; and 
from this the lake derived the name above given. 
Ontario O-no-ta-ri-io : "Handsome Lake." 
Barnhart s Island Ni-ion-en-hi-a-se-ko-wa-ne : " Big 
stone." 

Baxter s Island Tsi-io-wcn-o-kwa-ka-ra-te : " High 
Island." 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



Cornwall Island Ka-u>cn-fl-ko-^>a-ih >i-iie : " Big 
Island." 

Isle au Gallop (and the rapids beside it) Tsi-in- 
ko-ten-nit-ser-ron-ti-e-tha : " Where the canoe must be 
pushed up the stream with poles." 

Isle-au-Rapid-Plat Tie-lwn-wi-nc-tha : "Where a 
canoe is towed with a rope." 

Lower Long Saut Isle Ka-ron-kwi. 

Canada Ka-na-ta : " A village." 

Cataroqui (ancient name of Kingston) : "A bank 
of clay rising out of the waters." 

Hochelaga (former name of Montreal) O-scr-a-kc: 
" Beaver dam." 

Massena Springs &<i/i-a-iii ii-s/ak-< -/\is : " Where 
the mud smells bad." 

Moria Sa-ko-ron-ta-keh-tas : "Where small trees 
are carried on the shoulder." 

Montreal Tio-ti-a-ke : " Deep water by the side 
of shallow." 

Toronto Tho-ron-to-hen : " Timber on the water." 

The following poem is a pen-picture of the con 
tests of long ago : 

HOW CANADA WAS SAVED. 

BY GEORGE MURRAY, B.A. 

Beside the dark Utawas stream, two hundred years ago, 

A wondrous feat of. arms was wrought, which all the world should 

know : 

Tis hard to read with tearless eyes that record of the past 
It stirs the blood, and fires the soul, as with a clarion s blast. 
What though no blazoned cenotaph, no sculptured columns tell 
Where the stern heroes of my song, in death triumphant, fell ; 
What though beside the foaming flood untombed their ashes lie 
All earth becomes the monument of men who nobly die ! 

A score of troublous years have passed since on Mount-Royal s crest 
The gallant Maisonneuve upreared the Cross devoutly bless d, 
And many of the saintly Guild that founded Ville-Marie 
With patriotic pride had fought determined to be free. 
Fiercely, the Iroquois had sworn to sweep, like grains of sand, 
The Sons of France from off the face of their adopted land, 
When, like the steel that oft disarms the lightning of its power, 
A fearless few their country saved in danger s darkest hour. 

Daulac, the Captain of ihe Fort in manhood s fiery prime 
Hath sworn by some immortal deed to make his name sublime, 
And sixteen " Soldiers of the Cross." his comrades true and tried, 
Have pledged their faith for life and death all kneeling side by 

side : 

And this their oath on flood or field, to challenge face to face 
The ruthless hordes of Iroquois, the scourges of their race 
No quarter to accept or grant and, loyal to the grave, 
To die, like martyrs, for the land they vainly bleed to save. 

Shrived by the Priest within the Church where oft they had adored, 

^ itli solemn fervor they receive the supper of the Lord : 

And now those self-devoted Youths from weeping friends have pass d 

And on the Fort of Ville-Marie each fondly looks his last. 

Unskilled to steer the frail canoe, or stem the rushing tide, 

On through a virgin wilderness, o er stream and lake they glide, 

Till, weary of the paddle s dip, they moor their barks below 

A Rapid of Utawa s flood the, turbulent Long Saut, 



There, where a grove of gloomy pines sloped gently to the shore, 
A moss-grown Palisade was seen a Fort in days of yore 
Fenced by its circle they encamped, and on the listening air 
Before those staunch Crusaders slept arose the voice of prayer, 
Sentry and scout kept watch and ward; and soon, with glad sur 
prise, 

They welcomed to their roofless hold a band of dark allies 
Two stalwart chiefs and forty "braves" all sworn to strike a blow 
In one great battle for their lives against the common foe. 

Soft was the breath of balmy spring in that fair month of May, 
The wild-flower bloomed the wild-bird sang on many a budding 

spray 

A tender blue was in the sky, on earth a tender green, 
And Peace seemed brooding, like a dove, o er all the sylvan scene : 
\\ hen, loud and high, a thrilling cry dispelled the magic charm, 
And scouts came hurrying from the woods to bid their comrades arm, 
And swift canoes, like floating swans, flashed gaily down the Saut, 
Manned by three hundred dusky forms the long-expected foe. 

They spring to land a wilder brood hath ne er appalled the sight 
With carbines, tomahawks, and knives that gleam with baleful light 
Dark plumes of eagles crest their Chiefs, and broidered deerskins 

hide 

The blood-red war-paint that shall soon a bloodier red be dyed. 
Hark ! to the death-song that they chant behold them as they 

bound, 

With flashing eyes and vaunting tongues, defiantly around 
Then, swifter than the wind they fly the barrier to invest, 
Like hornet-swarms that heedless boys have startled from a nest. 

As Ocean s tempest-driven waves dash forward on a rock, 

And madly break in seething foam, hurled backward by the shock, 

So onward dashed that surging throng, so, backward were they 

hurl d, 
When, from the loopholes of the Fort, flame burst, and vapor 

curl d. 

Each bullet aimed by bold Daulac went crashing through the brain, 
Or pierced the bounding heart of one who never stirred again 
The trampled turf was drenched with blood blood stained the 

passing wave 
It seemed a carnival of death, the harvest of the grave. 

The sun went down the fight was o er but sleep was not for 

those 

Who, pent within that frail redoubt, sighed vainly for repose ; 
The shot that hissed above their heads the Mohawk s taunting 

cries 
Warned them that never more on earth must slumber seal their 

eyes. 

In that same hour their swart allies, o erwhelmed by craven dremd, 
Leaped o er the parapet like deer, and traitorously fled ; 
And, when the darkness of the night had vanished, like a ghost, 
Twenty and two were left of all to brave a maddened host. 

Foiled for a time, the subtle foes have summoned to their aid 
Five hundred kinsmen from the Isles, to storm the Palisade ; 
And, panting for revenge, they speed, impatient for the fray, 
Like birds of carnage from their homes allured by scent of prey. 
With scalp-locks streaming in the breeze, they charge but never yet 
Have legions in the storm of tight a bloodier welcome met 
Than those doomed warriors, as they faced the desolating breath 
Of wide-mouth musketoons that poured hot cataracts of death. 

Eight days of varied horror passed : what boots it now to tell 

How the pale tenants of the Fort heroically fell ? 

Hunger and thirst and sleeplessness->-Death s ghastly aids at length 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



Marred and defaced their comely forms, and quelled their giant 

strength. 

The end draws nigh they yearn to die one glorious rally more 
For the dear sake of Ville-Marie, and all will soon be o er 
Sure of the martyrs golden Crown, they shrink not from the Cross, 
Life yielded for the land they love they scorn to reckon loss ! 

The Fort is fired and through the flames with slippery, splashing 

tread 

The Redmen stumble to the camp o er ramparts of the dead. 
There with set teeth and nostril wide, Daulac, the dauntless, stood 
And dealt his foes remorseless blows mid blinding smoke and blood, 
Till, hacked and hewn, he reeled to earth, with proud unconquered 

glance, 

Dead but immortalized by death Leonidas of France ! 
True to their oath, his comrade knights no quarter basely craved 
So died the peerless Twenty-two so Canada was saved ! 



CHAPTER IV. 

RESULTS or THE CAPITULATION FORMATION OF 
DISTRICTS. 

BY the capitulation of Montreal, Canada was for 
ever severed from France, and became an integral 
part of the British Empire. Thus was laid the 
foundation of the Dominion destined at no distant 
day to become a great nation, by the federation of 
its scattered Provinces. Grave were the fears 
entertained that the French Canadians would not 
become loyal subjects ; yet not a score of years 
passed away before their valor was tested in 
defence of the British flag, and, although promises 
of political advantage were held out, they remained 
steadfast in their allegiance and preferred to remain 
British subjects. In consequence of the French and 
Indian wars, the French Canadians had learned to 
look upon the settlers of New England as their 
worst enemies, and therefore refused to cast their 
lot with the revolting provinces in the Revolution 
of 1776. 

More than one hundred and fifty years had passed 
away during which France had vainly attempted to 
create an empire in the New World. All that 
remained of their indomitable valor, religious zeal, 
and spirit of exploration, was handed over to an 
ancient bu1^ honorable foe. The adopted children 
were guaranteed the exercise of their religion ; their 
communities preserved their constitutions, while 
they were given the commercial privileges which 
other British colonies enjoyed. The Abbe Rynal 
said that the French rule was "succeeded by a cool, 
rational, and public trial ; and a tribunal, dreadful, 
and accustomed to shed blood, was replaced by 
humane judges, more disposed to acknowledge 
innocence than to suppose criminality. The con 
quered people have been still more delighted by 
finding the liberty of their persons secured forever 



by the famous law of Habeas Corpus. As they had 
too long been victims of the arbitrary wills of those 
who governed them, they have blessed the beneficent 
hand that drew them from a state of slavery, to put 
them under the protection of just laws." 

During the first three years after the capitulation, 
the government was purely military. There was a 
general uneasiness among the people as to the 
constitution about to be established. In 1774, two 
Acts were passed by the Imperial Parliament, 
relating to the government of the colony. One 
provided a revenue for the administration by the 
imposition of duties ; the other, called the Quebec 
Act, defined the boundaries of the Province, autho 
rized the appointment of a Council, which, with the 
consent of the Governor, or Commander-in-Chief, 
had power to make ordinances for the peace, welfare, 
and good government of the Province. Under this 
Act the Province was governed until 1791, when the 
colony was divided into two distinct Provinces, 
called Upper and Lower Canada. It was provided 
that a Legislative Council and Assembly should be 
established in each Province. The members of the 
Council were to be appointed for life by the King, 
and in Upper Canada to consist of not fewer than 
seven, and in Lower Canada, not fewer than fifteen, 
persons. 

The division line between the two Provinces was 
fixed " to commence at the cove west of Point an 
Baudet, on Lake Francis ; pursuing the western 
limits of the Seignories of New Longueuil and 
Vaudreuil, and intersecting the Ottawa River at 
Point Fortune " the Ottawa thus becoming the 
northern boundary till Lake Tcmiscaming was 
reached. From the head of that lake the line ran 
due north until it struck the southern boundary of 
Hudson Bay. 

In 1788, Lord Dorchester had divided Upper 
Canada into four districts, called Lunenburg, 
Mecklenburg, Nassau, and Hesse. By an Act 
passed during the first session of the Provincial 
Parliament of Upper Canada, in 1792, the names 
were changed to Eastern, Midland, Home, and 
Western ; but the limits were not altered. General 
Simcoe afterwards adopted a new division into 
districts, counties, and townships, creating that 
with which we have especially to deal, viz.: the 
District of Johnstown. 

During the occupation by the French, the northern 
hank of the St. Lawrence had, in a general sense, 
only served as camping ground for the explorers 
and fur-traders, who, after a laborious struggle in 
overcoming the rapids, often rested a few days at 
the site of the Village of Johnstown, and thus 
planted the germ from which the future county 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



town was to arise. Even the occupation of the 
country by the Britisli did not materially change 
the condition of affairs, until the termination of the 
American Revolution, which sent to our shores 
thousands of King s Men, who preferred the "Old 
Flag" to Republican institutions. 

At the time of the separation of the Provinces, 
the population was not known, but was set down 
at sixty-five thousand. This was probably an 
exaggeration, as the total revenue for the thirteen 
years from the ist of May, 1775, to the ist of May, 
1788, including arrears, was less than ten thousand 
pounds. 



CHAPTER V. 

THK JOHNSTOWN DISTRICT EARLY EXPLORATIONS 
("i-Ri.AY s REPORTS. 

Tur. Johnston District, according to returns brought 
down in 1849, contained 1,020,000 acres, of which 
141,646 were Clergy Reserves. The District was 
bounded on the west, north-west, north, and north- 
cast by the Midland, Bathurst, Dalhousie, and 
Eastern Districts, and on the south, by the River 
St. Lawrence. Originally, portions of North Bur 
gess, Montague, North Gower, and Marlborough 
were integral parts of the District, the first survey 
running the boundary line to the north of the 
Rideau River. Subsequently, North Burgess and 
Montague were changed to include the land south 
to the Rideau, and attached to the County of 
Lanark ; the same plan being pursued in reference 
to Marlborough and North Gower, these townships 
forming a part of the County of Carleton. Many 
of the original settlers of Johnstown have, therefore, 
by legislation, been removed from the jurisdiction 
of the United Counties, yet deserve to be ranked 
among the pioneers of Leeds and Grenville. 

The County of Leeds contains the Townships of 
Bastard and Burgess (united October 291)1, 1849), 
North Crosby, South Crosby, Elizabethtown, Elms- 
lev, Eso.tt, Kitley, Front of Leeds and Lansdownc, 
Rear of Leeds and Lansdowne, Front of Yonge, 
Rear of Yongc and Escott, Incorporated Villages of 
Gananoque and Newboro , and the Town of 
Brockville. 

Grenville contains : Augusta, Edwardsburg, South 
Gower, Oxford, Wnlford, the Incorporated Villages 
of Kemptvillf and Mcrrickville, and the Town of 
Prescott. 

The population of the Johnstown District was, in 
1824, 14,741 ; in 1834, 28,061 ; in 1848, 4,3,436 ; and 
1850, 44,206. Of Leeds and Grenville, in 1860, 
59,941. According to the census of 1871, Grenville 



South, 14,197 ; North Leeds and Grenville, 13,530; 
South Leeds, 20,716. 

Previous to the declaration of war by the thirteen 
original colonies against Great Britain, the Rev. 
John Stuart, D.D., was acting missionary among the 
Mohawks, reading the service regularly every 
Sunday, first in English and then in Indian. Sir 
William Johnston secured for the missionary a 
handsome grant of land, which, in honor of his 
patron, Mr. Stuart named Johnstown. Some time 
after hostilities opened, Mr. Stuart was taken 
prisoner of war by the Continental forces, in conse 
quence of his loyalty to the British Crown, and his 
estate forfeited ; but, through the kindness of 
Governor Clinton, he was permitted to remove to 
Canada, which he did in 1781. Subsequently, he 
settled at Cataraqui, receiving extensive grants of 
land, partly in the vicinity of that place, and partly 
at a point in Grenville, which, in memory of the 
dear old place on the Mohawk, he called New 
Johnstown, the village subsequently becoming the 
first county town, and giving its name to the 
entire District. 

During the Indian supremacy, the unbroken 
wilderness was traversed by ascending the great 
streams in bark canoes, paddling, when compelled, 
around the shores of the great lakes, surmount 
ing rapids and other obstacles by carrying 
their frail barks. Their frequent journeyings 
created well-marked trails, that proved of the 
greatest service to the early French missionaries 
and explorers. The original routes from the sea 
board were up the St. Lawrence River to its 
confluence with the Ottawa : thence, by that 
stream, north to Lake Nipissing, and westward 
to Georgian Bay. To reach Lake Ontario, the 
path diverged so as to strike the head waters of 
the Trent, descending which, the voyageurs found 
themselves in the magnificent Bay of Ouintc. 
Lake Ontario was shown on the eariy maps as 
Lake St. Louis, and subsequently as Lake Fron- 
tenac. A map is preserved in the Imperial Library 
in Paris, in which the Indian name of Ontario is 
given as Skaniadono, and bearing the date, 1688. 
According to a map in the Patent Office at 
Washington, the point on the Longley estate, at 
Maitland, is designated "Point au Pin ;" the site of 
the windmill below Prescott, where the battle was 
fought in the so-called Patriot war, "Point aiix 
Lievres ;" the site of Brockville bearing the title, 
"Fontaine Bequencourt." Jones Creek is set down 
as " Ouagaran River." 

From Lake Ontario to Lake Huron, the route 
was up the Bay of Ouinte, the River Trent, Lake 
Simcoe, and thence to Georgian Bay. Only 



12 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



occasionally did the French skirt Lake Ontario, 
proceed to Niagara, ascend to Lake Erie, and by 
this means reach the Great West. It is a significant 
fact that the Indians possessed a knowledge of the 
route by which a person could by means of canoes 
proceed from Quebec to the head-waters of the 
Mississippi, the longest portage being that encoun 
tered at the head of the Illinois River, and that only 
about one mile. 

To reach Lake Ontario from New York, it was 
necessary to ascend the Hudson to a point ten miles 
above Albany, where that stream receives the waters 
of the Mohawk. From Fort Stanwix, (Rome, N.Y.,) 
a branch (Hood Creek) leads towards Oneida Lake, 
another branch, called Canada Creek, running in 
the direction of Lake Champlain. From Oneida 
Lake the descent to Lake Ontario is by the Oswego 
River. By ascending the west branch of the 
Hudson, the head-waters of the Oswegatchie could 
be reached, and a descent made to La Presentation 
(Ogdensburg). From Lake Champlain, another 
route was by the Racquette River, which empties 
into the St. Lawrence in the vicinity of Cornwall. 

These various routes of travel are of a peculiar 
interest to Canadians, as they were most commonly 
selected by the United Empire Loyalists who came 
to this country at the close of the war. 

Less frequented routes were those which brought 
the traveller to the head-waters of Black River, 
which empties into the lake at Sacket s Harbor, or 
by following the military highway to Lower Canada, 
ria Whitehall, Lake Champlain, Fort Ticondiroga, 
Plattsburg, and thence to Cornwall. 

Champlain penetrated the Iroquois country along 
this line, and shed the first blood of the Indian, 
which, upon countless battle-fields, in the green 
glades of the forest in the settler s new-made 
clearing beside the great lakes, and on their many 
tributaries, was avenged again and again, with a 
sanguinary ferocity which brought sorrow and 
desolation to many a happy French and English 
home. 

Back and forth along this highway, for two 
hundred years, the tide of battle ebbed and flowed. 
French marauding expeditions, with savage allies, 
swept swiftly at night, and skulked by day, down 
upon the English settlements on the Mohawk, 
returning with many a gory scalp bringing, now 
and then, a few fair prisoners, to be consigned to a 
fate worse than death. 

To ascend the St. Lawrence was a weary, as well 
as a dangerous undertaking, requiring not only 
patience, but the exercise of much skill. In time, 
the bark canoe of the Indian gave place to the 
Batteaux, the Schenectady, and the Durham boats. 



Gourlay, speaking of Lachine, says that "from 
Lachine, the canoes employed by the North-west 
Company in the fur trade, take their departure. 
Of all the numerous contrivances for transporting 
heavy burthens by water, these vessels are, perhaps, 
the most extraordinary ; scarcely anything can be 
conceived so inadequate, from the lightness of their 
construction, to the purpose they are applied to, 
and to contend against the impetuous torrent of 
the many rapids that must be passed through in the 
course of a voyage. They seldom exceeded thirty 
feet in length, and six in breadth, diminishing to 
a sharp point at each end, without distinction of 
head or stern. The frame is composed of small 
pieces of very light wood ; it is then covered with 
the bark of the birch tree, cut into convenient slips, 
that are rarely more than the eighth of an inch in 
thickness ; these are sewed together with threads 
made from the twisted fibres of the roots of a 
particular tree, and strengthened, where necessary, 
by narrow strips of the same materials applied on 
the inside ; the joints of fragile planking are made 
water-tight by being covered with a species of gum 
that adheres very firmly and becomes very hard 
No iron-work of any description, nor even nails, are 
employed in building these slender vessels, which, 
when complete, weigh only about five hundred 
pounds each." 

The Durham boat was long, shallow, and flat- 
bottomed, being shod with iron to protect it 
when in contact with shoals. It was propelled by 
the use of poles, one being used on each side, and 
handled by two men, the pole for this purpose being 
crossed by small bars of wood, like the rounds of a 
ladder. These bars were grasped successively by 
the boatmen, who thus worked their way from the 
prow to the stern. 

The emigrants from the Valley of the Mohawk in 
many cases brought with them another kind of 
craft, called the Schenectady boat, which was flat- 
bottomed and rigged with a sail. 

Among the earliest traffickers between Albany 
and the St. Lawrence, was Duncan, of Augusta, who 
was at one time a Legislative Councillor for Upper 
Canada. He afterwards removed to the State of 
New York, and introduced trade between the 
Mohawk and Buffalo, which, in the end, led to the 
construction of the Erie Canal. The Jones , of 
Brockville, for many years carried on an extensive 
forwarding business between Montreal and the 
Upper Province ; conveying not only freight, but 
passengers, with expedition. By the aid of ropes, 
the rapids were surmounted with greater ease, 
though it was customary for some time to portage 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



3 



from the city to Lachine, and thus avoid the 
dangerous rapids at and below that place. 

The batteaux did the principal business until 
supplanted by the Durham boats in 1809, the 
latter continuing in use until some time after the 
war of 1812. Even on calm water, the average time 
of these unique vessels, on which our grandfathers 
took passage, was only two and a-half miles an 
hour, including stoppages. In 1830, the important 
announcement was made "that an elegant passage 
boat would leave Brockville every tenth day " for 
Montreal. 

The following are lines, of an old date, written on 
hearing Canadian batteaux, with their usual 
songs, enter the harbor at Kingston from the St. 
Lawrence : 

Hark ! o er the lake s unruffled wave 

A distant solemn chant is sped ; 
Is it some requiem at the grave ? 

Some last kind honor to the dead. 
Tis silent all again begun ; 

It is the wearied boatman s lay, 
That hails alike the rising sun, 

And his last soft departing ray. 

Forth from yon island s dusky side 

The train of batteaux now appear, 
And onward as they slowly glide, 

More loud their chorus greets the ear. 
But, ah ! the charm that distance gave, 

When first, in solemn sounds, their song 
Crept slowly o er the limpid wave, 

Is lost in notes full loud and strong. 

Row ! brothers, row, with songs of joy, 

For now in view a port appears ; 
No rapids here our course annoy, 

No hidden rocks excite our fears. 
Be this sweet night to slumber given, 

And when the morning lights the wave, 
We ll give our matin songs to Heav n, 

Our course to bless, our lives to save. 



CHAPTER VI. 
THE UNITED EMPIRE LOYALISTS. 

GOURLAY says: "To put a mark of honor, as it 
is expressed in the Orders of Council, upon the 
families who had adhered to the unity of the 
empire, and joined the royal standard in America, 
before the treaty of separation, in 1783, a list of 
such persons was made out and returned, to the 
end that their posterity might be discriminated 
from the then future settlers. From the initials of 
two emphatic words, the Unity of the Empire, it was 
styled the U . E. List ; and they whose names were 
entered on it, were distinguished as U. E. Loyalists, 
a distinction of some consequence, for, in addition 



to the provision of such loyalists themselves, it was 
declared that their children, as well those born 
thereafter as those already born, should, upon 
arriving at the age of twenty-one years, and females 
upon their marriage within that age, be entitled to 
grants of two hundred acres each, free from all 
expense. As the sons and daughters of those whose 
names are on the U. E. List become of age, they 
petition the Lieutenant-Governor in Council, stating 
the facts, and verifying by their own oath and 
affidavit of one witness ; and, upon such petitions, 
obtain orders for land, which they locate in some 
of the new townships, and then take out their 
patents without cost." 

More than a century has elapsed since the " King s 
Men," with a fortitude having in history few 
parallels, refused to take up arms against the 
Crown. Republicanism and democracy possessed 
no charms for these sturdy pioneers, who had just 
succeeded in carving out of the forest, homes for 
themselves and children. The tocsin sounded to 
arms at Lexington ; they heard the battle-cry, and 
thousands of those noble-hearted sons of the " Old 
Land " responded. They flocked to the Royal 
standard, amid the curses and execrations of former 
friends and neighbors. They were branded as 
Tories and outlaws. Familes were rent in twain 
the patriotic and noble espousing the cause of the 
King ; the peace-seeking and ignoble preferring the 
retention of property to the duty they owed to their 
country. That there were many sincere Revolu 
tionists, we do not deny, but noble men, who were 
swept into the continental ranks, wished to preseve 
the connection with England. John Adams, years 
after the peace, said : " There ii<as not a moment 
during tlie Revolution li lien I u oulil not hare giren 
ercr\thing I possessed for a restoration to the state of 
things before t/ie contest I ^an, prorided we eould /tare 
had a sufficient security for its continuance." 

The Loyalists, who separated themselves from 
home and kindred, becoming outlaws and wan 
derers, have left few memorials behind them from 
which to compile a history of their hardships ; hence 
their heroism has in many instances been forgotten, 
and their immediate descendants are ignorant of the 
fact that they owe their all to the untiring industry 
of forefathers who carved out of the wild woods, 
homes and a patrimony. Ignorance and bigotry 
upon the part of American writers, have done much 
to blacken the reputation of these martyrs for the 
flag of their country ; and it is high time that the 
ashes of hatred were brushed from off their tombs, 
and a monument, in unison with their greatness, 
erected to commemorate their fidelity and their 
braverv. We know of no object to which a grant 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



of public money could be made, which would 
reflect greater credit upon our Legislature, than 
for the erection of a monument to their memory. 
What place more fitting than the old Johnstown 
District, by the banks of the magnificent river, 
which, once crossed, brought them to the Mecca 
of their hopes a kind where they and their 
children were destined to enjoy in the highest 
degree the benefits of a government based upon 
the fullest exercise of civil and religious liberty. 
Actuated by a sublime patriotism and the noblest 
feelings of manhood, they left behind the loaves 
and fishes of democracy, preferring, in their stead, 
the justice of a constitutional monarchy. 

All the way from the New England States, their 
trail was marked with blood, such as the heroes at 
Marathon and Lcuctra shed. Hunted by day, and 
shot down at night, multitudes paid tiie forfeit with 
their lives. To rob, plunder, and insult their 
defenceless wives and children, was to elicit marks 
of approbation from the Continental authorities. 
When they had concealed from the rapacious enemy 
a few morsels of food, they were, time and again, 
drawn up to the tops of trees (within sight of their 
sorrowing families), by means of a rope around 
their necks ; remaining firm, their lives paid the 
forfeit. 

What was their crime? Simply because they 
held that rebellion was wrong. They believed that 
the evils of which the colonists complained should 
be righted by constitutional means. True to the 
natural instincts of hearts beating with loyalty, 
they refused to become aliens to the old flag, under 
which they were born, had lived, and hoped to die. 
Theirs was a lofty patriotism, worthy of emulation 
by their sons, who should ever be ready to spurn 
the charge of disloyalty that has, in some instances, 
been flung at them by parties who have yet to 
prove that they would sacrifice all for country s 
sake. 

When the fortunes of war turned against Great 
Britain, the Loyalists were made to feel that they 
were outcasts. In intellectual supremacy and moral 
worth, their claims more than weighed down the 
rebels. Says Sabine : " From what has been said, 
it is evident that a very considerable portion of the 
professional and editorial intelligence and talents 
of the thirteen colonies was arrayed against the 
popular movement." Again: A large number of 
the clergy were United Empire Loyalists ; the 
giant:; of the law were nearly all Loyalists ; the 
physicians were mostly Tories." 

For many years, our schools were filled with 
American geographies and histories, written to 
blacken the reputations of these men, and eulogize 



the Republic. Happily for Canada, such a curse 
has "passed away. Yet it speaks volumes for our 
country and its institutions, that, in the face of 
teachings so pernicious, there has grown up and 
developed in our young men a sturdy patriotism 
never surpassed. 

Could the trackless wastes, from the Valley of the 
Mohawk to the Canadian frontier have spoken, 
what tales of sorrow would they have uttered ? 
Barefooted men, women, and children, pressing on 
ward, hungry and footsore,often in the dead of winter 
seeking protection within the British lines ! Long 
fellow, in the beautiful poem, " Evangeline," has 
told the world of the expulsion of the Acadians. 
What they suffered was exceeded in severity by the 
United Empire Loyalists, who founded the town of 
St. John, on the St. John River, swelled the popu 
lation of Halifax, and settled along the Bay of 
Fundy ; ten thousand, in the years 1 784-5, facing 
the wilderness of Ontario, and dotting with hamlets 
the beautiful shores of the St. Lawrence and the 
Hay of Ouinte. 

The first severe blow which befell the Loyalists 
was the defeat of Burgoyne s army at Saratoga, 
N.Y., in 1777. They had flocked to his standard in 
great numbers, and when he surrendered, no ade 
quate provision was made for their protection. 
They were handed over to the tender mercies of a 
villanous band, called the " Sons of Liberty," who 
carried out the most diabolical systems of persecu 
tion. Many took refuge in the military forts 
established on the frontier. 

When Great Britain was compelled to acknow 
ledge the independence of the United States, the 
utmost consternation seized upon the Loyalists in 
the British army ; many tore the lappels from their 
coats, and declared that they were ruined. Upwards 
of twelve thousand men, women, and children 
embarked at the port of New York, seeking homes 
in Nova Scotia, the Bahamas, and Canada. Prompt 
measures were taken by the respective Legislatures 
of the different States, " to attaint and confiscate," 
also prohibiting the return of Loyalists, under the 
penalty of imprisonment, and even death. Confis 
cation did its work rapidly, and in a few months 
thousands were turned into the trails leading to 
Canada, to struggle forward, or to die. Well did 
Mr. Sheridan denounce as a crime the policy which 
delivered defenders of the flag " over to confiscation, 
tyranny, resentment, and oppression." 

Canada opened wide her arms to the sufferers ; 
the refugees assembling in large numbers at St. 
John. From this point Jessup s corps departed after 
being disbanded, and many of its numbers became 
the pioneer settlers of Leeds and Grenville. 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 




The following are notices of Loyalists who settled 
in Canada : 

"Joseph Anderson, of the King s Regiment, 
settled at Cornwall, where he died in 1853, aged 
ninety." 

" David Jones was a captain in the Royal service, 
and is supposed to have married the beautiful and 
good Jane McCrea, whose cruel death, in 1777, is 
universally known and lamented. According to 
Lossing, he lived in Canada to an old age. Jane 
McCrea was the daughter of the Rev. James 
McCrea, a New Jersy Loyalist." 

"Jonathan Jones, of New York, was a brother 
of Jane McCrea s lover. In 1776, he assisted in 
raising a company in Canada, and joined the British 
garrison at Crown Point. Later in the war he was 
a captain, and served under Col. Frazer." Sal iiic. 

" Donald McDonald, a descendant of the cele 
brated Flora McDonald, who was so devoted to 
the unfortunate Prince Charles Edward, the last 
Stuart who sought the Throne of England, served 
under Sir John Johnston for seven years, and died 
at Wolfe Island, in 1839, aged ninety-seven." 

"Allan McNab, a lieutenant in the Queen s 
Rangers, under General Simcoe ; father of Sir 
Allan Napier McNab, Bart., M. L. C, A. D. C., who 
married Mary Stuart, of Brockville." 

Colonel Stephen Buiritt, founder of Burritt s 
Rapids, served for seven years in Roger s Rangers. 
Settled on the Rideau (it is claimed) April 9, 1793. 
Colonel Burritt is a cousin of the celebrated 
Learned Blacksmith, Elihu Burritt." 

"John Jones, of Maine, captain in Rodger s 
Rangers. Being of dark complexion, he was called 
Mahogany Jones. lie was persecuted by the 
Whigs, tied to a rope, dragged through the water, 
thrust into Boston gaol, escaped, and arrived in 
Quebec, in 1780. Among his feats was the capture 
of his old enemy, General Gushing." 

Thomas Sherwood, father of the late Sheriff Adiel 
Sherwood, settled in Eli/abethtown, below Brock 
ville, in 1784, and was the first actual permanent 
settler in the United Counties. He lived on his 
farm forty-two years, and died, universally respected, 
at the age of eighty-one. 

Among the first settlers on the banks of the St. 
Lawrence, and who took an active part in the war, 
were Captain Thomas Frazer, Captain William 
Frazer, Lieutenant Solomon Snyder, Lieutenant 
Gideon Adams, Captain Simon Coville, Captain 
Drummond, Ensign Dulmage, Ensign Sampson, 
Lieutenant Farrand, Captain Amberson, Lieutenant 
McLean, Lieutenant James Campbell, Lieutenant- 
Colonel Alexander Campbell, Sergeant Benoni 
Wiltse, Ensign E. Bolton, Captain Justus Slier 



wood, Captain John Jones, Lieutenant James 
Breakenridge, of Roger s Corps. 

[Extended sketches of Loyalists will be found 
among the biographical notes.] 

PATENTS GRANTED IN ELIZABF.THTOWN TO THE 
3 1ST OF DKCEMUER, 1802. 

This list contains the names of the great majority 
of United Empire Loyalists who drew land in the 
Township of Elizabethtown. 



TOWNSHIP OF ELl/.AIiETHTOWN. 


d 

o 
U 


Lot. 


Name of Grantee. 


Part of Lot. 


CJ 


Date of Patent. 


I 

3 


i 

2 
2 

6 

7 
8 
16 

18 

19 

20 

21 

22 
23 
24 
25 
27 
27 
28 

29 
29 
3 

3 1 

37 i 
i ( 

3 
3 

6 
8 

16 

21 

24 

i! 

Si 

37 i 

3 
7 
9 
3 

I ^ 

16 
18 

19 
29 \ 

30) 

30 

31 
33 

33 
34 
35 
35 

37 . 


llamas Sherwood ... 

"honias Sherwood .... 


All 
E 1-2 
AY 1-2 

E 1-2 
El-2 

All 

E 1-2 

AV 1-2 

E 1-2 
AV 1-2 
AH 
All 

E 1-2 

All 
AV 1-2 
AY 1-2 

El-2 

AV 1-2 
AV 1-2 
S AV 1-2 

E 1-2 

All 
El-2 
AV 1-2 

E 1-2 

All 

All 

Upr Side 
AY 1-2 

E 1-2 

E 1-2 

S3-4 
S 3-4 of E 1-2 
N pt \ 

1-2 / 

All 

El-2 

All 
All 
All ) 
All 
El -2 \ 
AV 1-2 

All 

S I 2 
S 1-2 
S 1-2 

All 
AY I 2 ) 
AH 

E 1-2 \ 

U end 
All 
AV 1-2 \ 

E 1-2 | 

AV 1-2 

E 1-2 

AV 1-2 

Ft 1-2 

S 1-2 

SE&SAVpt 
AV 1-2 
S 1-2 

All 


200 
IOO 
IOO 
IOO 
IOO 

IOO 

104 

IOO 
20C 

228 
i 
IOO 
IOO 
IOO 

1 08 

oo 
oo 

08 

IO 

i ^ 

427 

.00 
oo 

00 
IOC 
IOO 

150 

75 

IOO 
2OO 



2OO 
2OO 

500 

IOO 

400 

IOC 
IOC 

20C 

IOC 
20C 

2OC 

. 

IOC 
IOC 
IOC 
IOC 
IIC 
IOC 
IOC 

toe 


une 30th, 1801 
une 30th, 1801 
May I7th, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 
lee. 2nd, 1802 
une 3Olh, 1801 
une 3Oth, iSoi 
Mar. 6th, 1/98 
Mar. 6th, 1798 
Mar. 26th, 1798 
Mar. 23rd, 1798 
Mar. 23rd, 1798 
Mar. 23rd. 1798 
Mar. 23rd, 1/98 
[une loth, 1801 
Mar. 26th, 1798 
Mar. 23rd, 1798 
Mar. 23rd, 1798 
Mar. 23rd, 1798 
May 1 7th, 1802 
Nov. 25th, 1802 
Mar. 6th, 1798 
May I7th, 1802 
Dec. 1st, 1797 
Alar. 23rd, 1798 

Aug. 24th, 1796- 

June 3oth, iSoi 

Mar. 26th, 1798 
[une 30111, 1801 
"Mar. 6th, 1798 
Dec. 2nd, 1802 
June 30th, 1801 
June 301!], iSoi 

Alar. 26th, 1798 

Mar. 26th, 1798 
Vpril 5th, 1797 
Alar. 22rd, 1798 
May 2/th, 1797 

April 6lh, 1797 

Dec. 1st, 1797 
Aug. 24th, 1795 

Dec. 1st, 1797 
Mar. Cth, 1798 
241!), 1796 
Alar. 26th, 1798 

Sept. 4th, 1800 

May 1 7th, 1802 
Alay I /th, 1802 

May I7th, 1802 

Alar. 6th, 1798 
Alar. 6th; 1798 
AIov. 25th, 1802 
Alar. 6th, 1798 
Aug. loth, 1 80 1 
Mar. 23rd, 1798 
Sept. 4th, 1800 
May 1 7th, 1802 

Aug. 24th, 1796 




ergt. Conrad Peterson 
ol. Edward Jessup, jr 
ol. Edward Jessup, jr 






ergt. Allan Grant. . . . 
Allen McDonald 
\llcn McDonald 






o Foer and Ferguson 




onathan Fulford 
ohn Flliott 




doctor Thos. Sparham 


Capt. \Vm. Clow 
saac Truax 

Lt.-Col. Ebenr. Jessup 




Asa Landon, jr 
leman Landon 

"Serg". Conrad Peterson 
Col. Edward Jessup. 
Col. Edward Jessup. . . 

Capt. John Jones. . . . 




Janiel McGriger 
Vllan McDonald 


Japt. Joseph Jessup . 


Lt.-Col. Ebenr. Jessu; 








Susannah Jessup. . . . 


James llraekenridgc. . 
Lemuel Casswell 

Steven Casswell 
Steven Casswell 
Ab. l Coleman 
Silas Judson 




Alexander Campbell. 
John Gardiner 

Lt.-Col. Ebenr. Jessu 



i6 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



TOWNSHIP OF ELIZABETHTOWN (Continued.) 



Lot. 


Name of Grantee. 


Part of Lot. 




o 


Date of Patent. 


I 

2 

8 
9 

12 
15 
19 
20 

28-29 
30 
3 

34 

37 
9 

12 

26 
28 
2O 
32 

33 
37 

!> 

7 
n 

20 

21 

34 

9 

3 

4 

1 

II 
l 

21 

22 
23 
24 
26 

33 
36 
i 
6 
9 
13 
H 

20 
21 
24 
25 
26 

27 
28 
30 
3 

34 
37 

2 

3 
4 
6 
n 
16 
i? 
19 

21 
22 

23 
28 
29 

35 
36 

37 

2 
4 


Reuben Sherwood . . . 


All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 

N 3 -4 
All 
All 

W 1-2 
W 1-2 

Ei-3 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 

W 1-2 
S W 1-2 

All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 

Wl-2 

All 
All 

All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 

Wl-2 

All 

All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 

Aii 

All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 


20C 
20C 
20C 
20C 
20C 
20C 
2CK 
20C 

I5 C 

20C 
4 OC 
IOC 
IOC 
IOC 
20C 
20C 
20C 
20C 
2OC 
200 
200 
200 
IOO 
100 

2OO 
200 
200 
200 
200 
200 
200 
2OO 
2OO 
2OO 
2OO 

oo 

2OO 
2OO 

01 
00 
00 

90 

00 

oo 
oo 
oo 
oo 
oo 
oo 
oo 

00 
00 
00 
00 
00 

oo 
oo 
oo 
oo 
oo 
oo 
oo 
oo 

00 

oo 
oo 

00 

oo! 
oo 
oo 
oo 
oo 
oo 
oo 

00 
00 
00 
00 
00 
on 


April 5th, 1797 
) May 17111, 1802 
>June loth, 1801 
) Mar. 6th, 1798 
May I7th, 1802 
> May 1 7th, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 
Mar. 26th, 1798 
Aug. loth, 1801 
Aug. loth, 1801 
June loth, 1801 
May 1 7th, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 
April i gth, 1798 
May I7th, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 
Aug. loth, 1 80 1 
May 1 7th, 1802 
Nov. 25th, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 

April igth, 1798 
Nov. 25th, 1802 
Mar. 26th, 1798 
Mar. 23rd, 1798 
May I7th. 1802 
April igth, 1798 
Mar. 23rd, 1798 
May 1 7th, 1802 
May I7th, 1802 
Mar. 23rd, 1798 
Mar. 6th, 1798 
Aug. loth, 1 80 1 

May 1 7th, 1802 
April gth, 1798 

Mar. 26th, 1798 
June loth, 1801 
June 30th, 1801 
April gth, 1798 
Mar. 6th, 1798 
Mar. 23rd, 1798 
May 1 7th, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 
May I7th, 1802 
Sept. 4th, 1800 
Sept. 4th, 1800 
May I7th, 1802 
Mar. 6th, 1798 
Mar. 26th, 1798 
May 171)1, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 
fune loth, 1801 
Mar. 23rd, 1798 
\pril i gth, 1798 
Nov. 25th, 1802 
\pril gth, 1789 
Nov. 25th, 1802 
\pril gth, 1798 
\ug. loth, 1801 
Mar. 6th, 1798 
Mar. 23rd, 1798 
May I7th, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 
\pril jQth, i7f,8 
May 17th, 1802 
May 17th, 1802 
Mar. 23rd, 1798 
! une 30th, 1801 
:Jcc. ist, 1797 
May 1 7th, 1802 
May I7th, 1802 
Mar. 26th, 1798 
Mar. 6th, 1798 
<Jov. 25th, 1802 
Vov. 251)1, 1802 
Uav I7th. 180? 




Jonathan Mills Churcr 
James lirackenridge. . . 


[ames Curtis 


James Bracken ridge. . 
James Brackenridge. . . 
William Wright 
David Brass 


Samuel Booth 




Eldad and Hugh John; 


Ishabod Wing 




[ohn Snyder 
Jeddiah Wing 


John Snyder, jr. . . . 


Vincent Booth 
Joseph Day 


- aul Ferry and John 




Joseph McNish 


John McKee 


ohn Haggerman 
Vicholas Mattice 


John McNish 


[oscph Griffin . . . 


John Haggerman 
James Keltsey 




Richard Wra- . . 


Stephen Caswell am 


Jonathan Fulford. . . . 
Lodowick Wolf anc 
Wm. Lehey 
I )avid Brass 


Thomas Sherwood . . . 
John Ferguson.. 


Daniel Shipman.. 


Alex. McLean 
William Allen. . 


Westian Allen 


Joseph Griffin 


Lemuel Caswell ct al... 
Alexander Campbell . . 
John Howard 


Westian Allen . . 


George Buck .... 


[oseph McNish 


John Haggerman. ... 
David Peel 


David Brass, 


James Keltsey. , 
Samuel Shipman 


Richard Vanomen.... 


Alexander Barnett.. . 
lohnathan Fulford. . .. 




Alex. McLean 


Stephen Smith 




Nicholas Mattice 
Robert Smith 




John NcKee 


Obadiah Reid 






James lirackenridge . 
Lodowick Wolf 
Constant King 
Abel Coleman 


David Minheart 





The remaining Townships will be treated of 
hereafter. 



CHAPTER VII. 

THE SETTLEMENT OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE 
EARLY SURVEYS LAND GRANTS CLERGY RE 
SERVESMEMOIR OF ADIEL SHERWOOD SLAVES 
IN LEEDS COUNTY. 

THE following poem, from the pen of Alexander 
McLachlan, is entitled 

"CANADA." 

" Land of the mighty lake and forest ! 
Where the winter s locks are hoarest ; 
Where the summer s leaf is greenest ; 
And the winter s bite the keenest ; 
Where the autumn s leaf is searest, 
And her parting smile the dearest ; 
Where the tempest rushes forth 
From his caverns of the north, 
With the lightnings of his wrath 
Sweeping forests from his path ; 
Where the cataract stupendous 
Lifteth up her voice tremendous ; 
Where uncultivated nature 
Rears her pines of giant stature ; 
Sows her jagged hemlocks o er, 
Thick as bristles on the boar ; 
Plants the stately elm and oak 
Firmly in the iron rock ; 
Whore the crane her course is steering, 
And the eagle is careering, 
Where the gentler deer are bounding, 
And the woodman s axe resounding ; 
Land of mighty lake and river, 
To our hearts thou rt dear forever ! 
Thou art not a land of story ; 
Thou art not a land of glory ; 
No tradition, tale, or song, 
To thine ancient woods belong ; 
No long line of bards and sages 
Looking to us down the ages ; 
No old heroes sweeping by, 
To their warlike panoply ; 
Yet heroic deeds are done 
Where no battle s lost or won 
In the cottage, in the woods, 
In the lonely solitudes 
Pledges of affection given, 
That will be redeemed in Heaven. 

In 1665, the first grant of land was made to 
soldiers in Canada, the recipients of the royal 
bounty being the Carignan Regiment, which, 
after disbanding, was induced to settle in the 
New World. Grants were made according to 
rank ; the gifts were also supplemented with sums 
of money, to assist in clearing the land. From the 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



historian, Smith, we learn that at that time there was 
a scarcity of the fair sex in the colony, and that, to 
remedy this abnormal state of affairs, several hun 
dred females were dispatched from France. They 
were short, tall, lean, fat, old and young, but, in a 
few days after their arrival, they were all disposed 
of. "The Governor-General then distributed to the 
newly married, oxen, cows, hogs, fowls, salted beef, 
and good advice." 

The grants of land by the French Government 
consisted of seignories, which were subdivided into 
parishes, the extent of which were defined in 1721. 

The first person to whom a grant of land was 
made in Upper Canada, was De la Salle, the dis 
coverer of the Mississippi, who was granted Wolfe, 
Gage, and Amherst Islands, together with four 
leagues of land, which included the fort at Cata- 
raqui. 

When the Revolutionary War closed, the British 
Government adopted a policy of prudence and 
liberality, by granting to the Loyalist refugees 
large tracts of land, in partial recompense for the 
losses sustained in adhering to the old flag. The 
result has been to build up, to the north of the St. 
Lawrence, a confederation, strong in British prin 
ciples, and offering a bulwark against the spread of 
republicanism in North America. 

Not only were extensive grants of land made to 
the disbanded soldiers, according to rank, but also 
to every refugee. The scale of granting lands was : 
To a field-officer, 5,000 acres ; captain, 3,000 ; sub 
altern, 2,000 ; private, 200. 

Among the individuals of note who received 

grants, was Benedict Arnold, the traitor, who drew 

18,000 acres, besides having given to him, as a 

1 reward for his treachery, $50,000. Several of the 

; blocks were in the United Counties, one lot being, 

perhaps, the finest farm in Central Canada, 

situated near Kilmarnock, now the property of 

Joseph Ferguson, Esq. 

The lands were originally granted by drawing 
lots. The number of each lot and concession was 
written on separate pieces of paper ; all were then 
placed in a hat, and shaken. Each person entitled 
to land then drew a slip from the hat, or it was 
drawn for them, the number drawn corresponding 
to the location. A printed location ticket was then 
given. 

At the time the lot was drawn, the surveyor in 
charge had before him the map of the district, upon 
which he marked the name of the party who had 
secured it. 

Previous to the arrival of the first settlers, in the 
spring of 1784, partial surveys had been made of 
the townships fronting on the St. Lawrence, Major 

3 



Holland having charge of the same. In Lower 
Canada, in 1781, General Clark, Military Com 
mander, had caused a survey to be made, including 
the limit between the Seigniory of New Longueil 
and the Township of Lancaster, the first township 
in Upper Canada. The Surveyor-General at first 
laid out only a single range of lots, all of which 
fronted on the river, and this was probably done 
along the breadth of several townships. The front 
line was first run, cutting off the broken part along 
the bank of the river ; but, according to the report 
of the Crown Lands Department, in some townships 
no front line has been found, while the lines in the 
second concession were distinctly marked. 

The operations of the first surveyor only extended 
to the western boundary of Elizabethtown, which, 
at that time, was called the Eighth Township, 
though in reality it was the ninth. The explanation 
of this discrepancy is, that, for many years, Lan 
caster was not counted, being known as the Sunken 
Township, and considered of no value. 

The following are the names of the townships, 
commencing at the Lower Canada frontier : No. i, 
Lancaster ; No. 2, Charlottenburg ; No. 3, Corn 
wall ; No. 4, Osnabruck ; No. 5, Williamsburg ; 
No. 6, Matilda ; No. 7, Edwardsburg ; No. 8, 
Augusta ; No. 9, Elizabethtown. 

The base line having been established, a second 
one, parallel thereto, was made at a distance of a 
mile and a quarter. Each concession was divided 
into lots of two hundred acres. At intervals 
of two or three miles, a strip, forty feet wide, was 
left for the side lines. The number of concessions 
in a township depended upon circumstances, the 
general intention, however, being to make each 
municipality ten miles square. The object - of 
making the lots so narrow was to increase the 
number having a river frontage, thus bringing the 
settlers nearer together. 

In addition to the grant to each United Empire 
Loyalist, his wife and each of his children were 
entitled to a like quantity of land. The U. E. 
certificates of ownership became articles of barter. 
Many of the parties who drew land never examined 
it, and, if the location was in the rear townships, it 
was considered almost worthless. It therefore 
happened that lots were sold for a mere song, and, 
in many instances given away. Two hundred 
acres, now comprised in one of the best farms in 
the Township of Bastard, were offered for a pair of 
coarse boots, but the offer was refused. Store 
keepers bought up the location tickets for a calico 
dress, and resold the same lands to emigrants, at 
from two to four dollars an acre. 

The first operation of the new settler was to erect 



i8 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



a shanty, which generally consisted of a log cabin, 
about 15 by 20. One door and one window were 
considered sufficient. The roof was constructed by 
placing straight poles lengthwise of the building, 
over which were spread strips of elm bark, four 
feet in length, and from one to two feet in width, 
the layers overlapping each other, and held down 
by poles above, which were fastened by means of 
withes to those below. The hearth was made of 
flat stones, as well as the fire-back, which was 
carried up as high as the logs, in some instances ; 
in others, the chimney consisted of a flue made of 
green timber, plastered with mud. No boards 
could be procured for forming a floor, consequently 
the material was split out of basswood logs, and 
planed by means of a settler s axe. The door 
frequently consisted of a blanket, while the furni 
ture of the cabin was such as could be fashioned 
with an augur and an axe. 

The following interesting memoir was furnished 
by the late Adiel Sherwood, Esq., to Dr. Canniff, of 
Toronto, and to that gentleman we are indebted for 
a copy for publication : 

MEMOIR. 

" At the conclusion of the Revolutionary War, 
in 1783, the first settlers of Upper Canada were 
residing in Lower Canada, at and between Quebec 
and Montreal. Two Provincial corps deserve espec 
ial notice ; they were stationed at St. Johns, about 
twenty-seven miles from Montreal, on the south 
side of the River St. Lawrence. One was command 
ed by Major Jessup, the other by Major Rodgers, 
the forces under their command being actually the 
very first settlers of Leeds and Grenville. 

" About the first of June, 1784, they came up, and 
located along the bank of the St. Lawrence, com 
mencing a short distance west of the Province line, 
and extending even to the Bay of Quinte. The 
total number of new settlers who entered the 
Province in 1784, was computed at 10,000. 

" The river was ascended by means of small 
boats, called batteaux. These barques were built 
at Lachine, and were capable of carrying from four 
to five families each. Twelve boats constituted a 
brigade. Each brigade was placed under the com 
mand of a conductor, with five men in each boat, 
two of whom were placed on each side to row, with 
one in the stern, to steer. It was the duty of the 
conductor to give directions for the safe manage 
ment of the flotilla. When a rapid was ascended, 
part of the boats were left at the foot, in charge of 
one man, the remaining boats being doubly manned, 
and drawn up by means of a rope fastened to the 
bow, leaving four men in the boat, with setting 
poles, to assist. The men at the end of the rope 



walked along the bank, but were frequently com 
pelled to wade in the current, upon the jagged 
rocks. On reaching the head of the rapid, one 
man was left in charge, and the boatmen returned 
for the balance of the brigade. 

" The Loyalists were furnished rations by the 
Government, until they could clear the land, and 
provide for themselves. The seed given consisted 
of spring wheat, pease, Indian corn, and potatoes. 
Farming and other implements were provided, 
consisting of axes, hoes, augers, etc., and, in some 
instances, a kind of metal mill, in which to grind 
their corn and wheat. I am not aware that any of 
the mills were distributed in Leeds and Grenville. 
Commissioners were appointed to issue the rations 
and other supplies. 

"At that time, the country was a howling 
wilderness. Not a single tree had been cut by 
an actual settler, from the Province line to 
Kingston, a distance of one hundred and fifty 
miles. By the original survey, the lots were 
designated by a post planted, plainly marked with 
the number of each lot. 

" The following is a short list of the actual first 
settlers in the County of Leeds, whom I remember : 

" First, there was my father, Thomas Sherwood, 
who was the first actual settler in the counties. He 
located on lot number one, in the first concession 
of Elizabethtown, about the first of June, 1784. My 
father was one of a family of three brothers, named 
Seth Sherwood, Thomas Sherwood, and Adiel Sher 
wood. Thomas was born at Old Stratford, in the 
State of Connecticut, in the year 1 745. He emigrated 
to the State of New York, where he located on a 
beautiful farm, situated about five miles north of 
Fort Edward, and but a short distance from the 
spot where General Burgoyne surrendered. Both 
of my father s brothers settled in the same neigh 
borhood. 

" At the commencement of the Revolutionary 
War, my father remained loyal to the British 
Crown, and, as soon as he could escape, made 
his way, via Lake Champlain, to St. Johns, Lower 
Canada, where he found assembled a large number 
of British troops. He was at once employed in the 
Secret Service, going into the States and enlisting 
men to serve His Majesty King George III. His 
family remained in the States until 1779, when they 
removed to St. Johns, and he was appointed a 
subaltern officer in Major Jessup s corps. Both of 
his brothers entered the Continental army as 
officers. 

"My father was frequently called upon to run 
the side lines of the lots for the first settlers, and 
to show them the location of their land. Though 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



not a legalized surveyor, he had the instrument, 
and understood its practical use. He was ever 
ready to give his assistance and advice to the 
new-comer, and rendered great service in promoting 
the settlement of the county. He was made a 
captain in the first regiment of Leeds, becoming a 
magistrate when the first commission was issued. 
At that time, magistrates were legally qualified to 
perform the marriage ceremony ; and he probably 
united in the holy bonds of matrimony more indi 
viduals than has ever fallen to the lot of any 
clergyman in the United Counties, with the excep 
tion, perhaps, of the Rev. William Smart. 

"I have frequently heard him mention the circum 
stance of a young man asking him to perform the 
ceremony, at the same time confessing that he had 
no money, but promising to make a good wheat 
fan. The offer was accepted, and, in due time, the 
fan was delivered. An old man once came on the 
same errand, his offer being a corn basket, with oak 
splints, and so compactly made, that it was war 
ranted to hold water. It is needless to say that 
he was made happy. 

" My father lived on the farm on which he first 
pitched his tent, and died there in 1826. I am 
happy to say that he lived in comfort, and died in 
peace. 

" The following are the names of many of the 
early settlers in the County of Leeds : Joseph 
White, Asa Webster, David Kilborn, Reuben Mott, 
Henry Mott, Conrad Peterson, Jonathan Mills 
Church, Edward Leehy, Henry Elliott, Bartholo 
mew Carley, Livius Wickwire, Jonathan Wickwire, 
William Buell, B. Buell, Jonathan Buell, Samuel 
Wright, William Wright, Abraham Elliott, Adam 
Cole, John Cole, Jonathan Fulford, Captain Joseph 
Jessup, Six Mutchellore, Ensign Thomas Smith, 
Enoch Mallory, Elisha Mallory, Joseph Buck, Asa 
Landon, Sr., Alexander Bernard, Henry Manhard, 
Lieutenant James Breakenridge, Ruggles Munsell, 
Matthew Howard, Stephen Howard, John Howard, 
Peter Freel, Terence Smith, James Miller, Daniel 
McEathron, John McEathron, Daniel Shipman, 
Joseph McNish, Levi Hotchkiss, Robert Putnam, 
James Cooney, Henry McLean, Robert McLean, 
Allan Grant, Joseph White, Jr.. William Clow, 
John Munroe, and Levi Comstock. 

" The distance from the Province line to my 
father s farm, three miles below Brockville, was 
ninety-five miles, and to the port this side of 
Kingston, fifty miles. At the end of each mile was 
planted a red cedar post, having marked on it the 
number of miles from the Province line. This line 
of road was made some years after the^ first settle - 
ment, but I have forgotten the \ 



" For many years, the first and only legalized 
clergyman, within a hundred miles of this part of 
Province, was Parson Stuart, who was a member 
of the Episcopal Church. The next clergyman, I 
believe, was the Rev. Mr. Bethune, a Presbyterian 
clergyman, who settled near Cornwall. Next was 
the Rev Mr. McDowel, who located on the Bay of 
Ouinte. He came from the United States, about 
the year 1800, and on his way stopped in the neigh 
borhood of Brockville, where, at that time, I was 
teaching a common school. I believe that the first 
public prayer he ever made in Canada was at an 
exhibition of my school, on the day of his arrival. 

"In 1811, the Rev. William Smart arrived in 
Brockville, being the first minister of any denomi 
nation to settle in that place, or, for that matter, 
within fifty miles of it. 

" The first doctor was Solomon Jones, domiciled 
about seven miles below Brockville. He was one 
of the early settlers, and the first in point of educa 
tion and respectability. 

" One of the first magistrates, and, after some 
time, Judge cf the District Court, was Samuel Sher 
wood, who had studied law with Lawyer Walker, in 
Montreal, for two or three years. He was the first 
lawyer appointed in the District of Johnstown ; 
Jacob Farrand, the first in the Eastern District ; 
McLewen, of Kingston, and the father of the late 
Justice Hagerman, the first in the Bay of Quinte. 
The lawyers were all appointed by authority vested 
in the Lieutenant-Governor of the Province, autho 
rizing him to appoint a certain number of persons, 
such as he considered qualified to discharge their 
duties hence arose the by-words, Heaven-born 
lawyers. 

" School teachers were often employed for three 
or six months only, as boys could not attend in the 
summer. 

I recollect seeing pigeons flying in such numbers 
that they almost darkened the horizon, and so low, 
often, as to be knocked down with fish-poles. I 
saw where a near neighbor killed thirty at one 
shot. 

"When I was a boy, probably about thirteen or 
fourteen years old, I went, in the autumn, on a 
fishing excursion, to a place called Sandy Creek, on 
the south side of Lake Ontario, being in company 
with four men, in a Canadian batteaux. At that 
place, I saw ducks flying in immense numbers, 
round and over a marsh ; when they rose, they 
made a noise like the roar of very heavy thunder. 

" Not many years since, I rode out with a gentle 
man to Temperance Mills, situated near Temperance 
Lake, where a small spring keeps open all winter. 
The fish resort to the spring in the coldest weather. 



so 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



During our visit we actually caught a large number 
of fine fish, scooping them out with a long-handled 
frying-pan. 

" I will now detail to you a short history of 
myself, and some personal observations of an early 
date. 

"I was born on the i6th day of May, 1779, on a 
farm near Fort Edward, New York. I was brought 
to St. Johns, in Lower Canada, while at my mother s 
breast. When I was five years old, my father 
removed to the banks of the St. Lawrence, coming 
up with the first brigade of batteaux. I saw the 
first tree cut in the United Counties by an actual 
settler ; the first hill of corn and potatoes planted, 
but, alas ! where is the axe, or the man, that did 
the work ? Not a single individual, that I am aware 
of, is now living of the first settlers, but myself. 

" While many difficulties were encountered in the 
early settlement, yet we realized many advantages. 
We were always supplied with venison ; deer were 
very plentiful, partridge and pigeons in abundance, 
plenty of fish for all who wished to catch them, no 
taxes to pay, and an abundance of wood at our 
doors. Although deprived of many kinds of fruit, 
we obtained the natural productions of the country 
strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries, blackber 
ries, and plenty of red plums. The cranberries 
were found in abundance in the marshes. 

"The only animal which we brought with us was 
a little dog named Tipler, that proved almost 
invaluable in hunting. 

" After the first year, we raised a supply of Indian 
corn, but had no mill to grind it, and were, there 
fore, compelled to pound it in a large mortar, 
manufacturing what we called samp, which was 
made into Indian bread, called, by the Dutch, 
suppawn. The mortar was constructed in the 
following manner : We cut a log from a large tree, 
say, two and a-half feet in diameter, and six feet in 
length, planted it firmly in the ground, so that 
about two feet projected above the surface ; then 
carefully burned the centre of the top, so as to form 
a considerable cavity, which was then scraped clean. 
We generally selected an ironwood tree, about six 
inches in diameter, to form the pestle ; and many a 
time have I pounded at our mill, until the sweat ran 
merrily down my back. Although this simple con 
trivance did well enough for corn, it did not answer 
for grinding wheat. The Government, seeing the 
difficulty, built a mill back of Kingston, where the 
inhabitants, for seven miles below Brockville, got 
all their grinding done. In our neighborhood they 
got along very well in summer by lashing two 
wooden canoes together. Three persons would 



unite to manage the craft, each taking a grist. It 
generally took about a week to perform the journey. 
After horses were procured, kind Providence fur 
nished a road on the ice, until the road was 
passable by land. What is wonderful is, that, 
during the past fifty years, it has not been practi 
cable for horses and sleighs to traverse the ice from 
Brockville to Kingston, such a way having been 
provided only when absolutely necessary for the 
settlers. 

" Lieutenant Breakenridge, who, I believe, was a 
lieutenant in Major Rodger s corps, was appointed 
at an early period as Lieutenant of the County of 
Leeds, being authorized to make arrangements 
necessary for the formation of the militia, commis 
sioning the respective officers and organizing the 
force. I received an ensign s commission in the 
First Regiment of Leed s Militia, under his com 
mand as colonel. At that time, I was but seventeen 
years of age. From Francis Gore, Lieutenant- 
Governor of the Province, I received a commission 
as adjutant ; by General Brock I was created a 
captain ; by Sir Peregrine Maitland, a major. In 
1830, Sir John Colborne conferred upon me the 
rank of Colonel of the First Regiment of Leeds. 
In June, 1813, I was appointed Paymaster of the 
Eastern and Johnstown Districts ; the same year I 
became Treasurer of the District of Johnstown, and 
was placed on the commission as a magistrate. In 
1815, I received the appointment of D. F. Clerk of 
the Crown for the District. In 1816, I was made 
Commissioner for the Branch Roads in the same 
district. In 1819, I was appointed a member of the 
Land Board ; and, in 1829. Sheriff for the District 
of Johnstown. 

" After fifty years service as a militia officer, I 
resigned, and was gazetted as retiring with the full 
rank of colonel. After my appointment as Sheriff, 
I resigned my office as Treasurer, which I held for 
twenty-five years ; and, last of all, I resigned my 
situation as Sheriff, having officiated in that capacity 
for thirty-five years. 

(Signed,) "ADIEL SHERWOOD." 

The following interesting letter was written by 
Sheriff Sherwood, and addressed to Dr. Canniff, 
Toronto : 

"BROCKVII.I.E, March loth, 1868. 
Dear Sir: 

" In answer to your letter, as regards slaves, I only recollect two 
or three who were settled in the District of Johnstown. One 
:olore<l man, in particular, named Cresar Congo, was owned by 
Captain Justus Sherwood, the grandfather of Mr. George Sherwood, 
County Judge at Belleville. Captain Justus Sherwood came, with 
his family, in the same brigade of boats with my father, and located 
.wo miles above Pvescott. I recollect distinctly Cjesar Congo, then 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



21 



a stout young man. He often took the late Mr. Justice Sherwood 
(who died at Toronto) and myself on his back, to assist us in walk 
ing, while the boats were being drawn up (he rapids. The boys 
used to call Cicsar, Scippio. C:esar was sold to a half-pay officer, 
Mr. Bottom, who settled about six miles above Prescott. After 
twenty years sen-ice, Mr. Bottom gave Cajsar his freedom. Ca-sar 
then married a free colored woman, and settled in the Town of 
Brockville, where he lived many years, and died. Daniel Jones, 
Esq., father of the late Sir Daniel Jones, of Brockville, had, at one 
time, a female colored slave. There were also a few more slaves 
residing in .the District, but so far from my residence that I can give 
no account of them from personal knowledge. 

" The first Lodge of Free Masons that I am aware of, was held 
in the Township of Elizabethtown, near Brockville. I am unable 
to give the precise date. The members consisted principally of 
half-pay officers, who were located along the bank of the St. Law 
rence. I understood that they met under a travelling warrant. It 
was some years after the settlement of the Province that the regular 
organization of the fraternity took place. I believe it was accom 
plished by Mr. Jarvis, who came out as Secretary of the Province, 
and acted under the appointment of the Duke of Sussex, then Grand 
Master ; Mr. Jarvis assuming the duties of Provincial Grand Master, 
and issuing the necessary warrants. 



(Signed,) 



ADIEL SHERWOOD." 



CHAPTER VIII. 

CLERGY RESERVES LAND GRANTS LAWS JUDGE 
DUNCAN A SEVERE SENTENCE ANCIENT NAMES 
THF/HUNGRY SUMMER A STRANGE FUNERAL 
CHURCH BUILDING. 

IN 1791, the celebrated Clergy Reserve Act 
passed the Imperial House of Commons. This 
Act set apart one-seventh of the unsurveyed lands 
of the Province " for the support of a Protestant 
clergy ; " and authorized the Governor of either 
Province to establish rectories, and endow them. 
Private speculators also bought up extensive tracts 
of wild land, while thousands of acres were held by 
half-pay officers, who had drawn them as a recom 
pense for services rendered the Crown. The mode 
of reserving the Crown and Clergy Reserve lots 
also increased the evil, which in time grew to giant 
proportions. Many of the lots held in reserve were 
situated in the frontier townships, thus preventing 
the settlement of the country. Settlers were com 
pelled to make roads opposite their own lots, and 
also in front of the non-resident lands. One of the 
evils very justly complained of by the people, was 
that, in later years, " The Government reserved in 
the first concession the 5th, i5th, and 2oth lots ; 
and the clergy, the 3rd, roth, iyth, and 22nd. In 
the second concession, the Crown reserved the 4th, 
nth, 2ist, and 23rd; and the clergy, the 2nd, 9th, 
and i6th. Thus in every two concessions, the 
Crown would have three lots in one and four in 
the other, or seven in all ; and the clergy the same ; 



or fourteen lots reserved in every forty-eight, or 
nearly one-third of the land in each township." 

As the wild lands paid no taxes, the system was 
inimical to the best interests of the country, par 
ticularly as the clergy made no attempt to settle 
and cultivate the tracts thus set apart. The magni 
tude of the evil was clearly brought out in the 
report of Lord Durham, in which he stated that, 
"In Upper Canada, 3,200,000 acres have been 
granted to United Empire Loyalists ; 700,000 acres 
to militia men ; 450,000 acres, to discharged soldiers 
and sailors ; 225.000 acres to magistrates and bar 
risters ; 136,000 acres to executive councillors ; 
50,000 acres to five legislative councillors ; 36,900 
acres to clergymen ; 264,000 acres to persons con 
tracting to make surveys ; 92,526 acres to officers 
of the Army and the Navy ; 500,000 acres for the 
endowment of schools ; 48,520 acres to Colonel 
Talbot ; 12,000 acres to the heirs of General Brock ; 
12,000 acres to Dr. Mountain ; making altogether, 
with the Clergy Reserves, nearly half of all the 
surveyed land in the Province." 

Among the great land-jobbers of Canada, were 
the following: Sir William Pullency, in 1791, pur 
chased 1,500,000 acres, at one shilling an acre ; 
subsequently securing 700,000 acres, the latter cost 
ing eight shilling per acre. Mr. Hamilton, a 
member of the Legislative Council, secured 100,000 
acres. Chief Justices Emslie and Powell, and 
Solicitor-General Gray also purchased from 20,000 
to 50,000 acres each. 

LAWS. 

The first settlers of Upper Canada were, for a 
time, compelled to live under " martial law," the 
execution being left to the captain having the 
supervision of any particular locality. In Grenville 
and Dundas, a Captain Duncan, who established 
his headquarters at Maria-town, that place being 
named after his only daughter, Maria, was, accord 
ing to Croil, Judge, Police-Magistrate, and Justice 
of the Peace. Whatever may have been the proper 
title of this dignitary, it is evident, from the records 
preserved, that his discretionary power was practi 
cally unlimited. 

"A civil court, with all its accompaniments of 
Sheriff, Judge, and Jury, was held at the inn of 
Richard Loucks, on September I4th, 1790." The 
jurisdiction of this court extended over the entire 
District of Lunenburg. The late Judge Jarvis, of 
Cornwall, gave his opinion, that this court must 
have been under the authority of the Act of Parlia 
ment of England, 14 Geo., 3rd Chap. 83 (1774), 
usually known as the Quebec Act, by which the 
Governor and Council thereby constituted, must 
have erected the jurisdiction. The Court of King s 



HISTORY OF LEED$ AND GRENVILLE. 



Bench was not erected until 1794, when the court 
we have spoken of was superseded." 

Parties convicted of serious crimes were disposed 
of in a summarily manner, by being banished to the 
United States ; minor offences were atoned for in 
the pillory. Duncan is described by Croil as having 
monopolized most of the offices in the Lunenburg 
District, dealing out. by turns, " martial law," dry 
goods, municipal law, and groceries. As a mem 
ber of the Legislative Council, he framed laws, and, 
as a Judge, dispensed them. 

At a very early date, a man, by the name of 
Church, was assaulted, just below the present 
Village of Maitland, his antagonist striking him 
with a club. Church, in self-defence (he claimed), 
returned the blow with a bottle. The blow instantly 
killed his assailant. Church immediately gave him 
self up to the authorities, being taken charge of by 
a person who appears to have acted in the capacity 
of Sheriff. There being no court of competent 
jurisdiction, the prisoner was handed over to Mr. 
Timothy Hodge, who was to retain him in custody 
for nine months, when a court was expected to 
assemble at Cornwall. 

Church remained with his jailor during the al 
lotted time, helping him clear several acres of land 
in fact, being treated like one of the family. 
Repairing to Cornwall, or its vicinity, when the 
court met. he was found guilty of manslaughter, 
and sentenced to have a red-hot iron run through 
his hand, his ear cropped, and he was banished from 
the country. No doubt, what the court lacked in 
dignity, it made up in severity. 

The inquiry has been made, why were the Ger 
mans located in Dundas, while the Highland 
Scotch took possession of Glengarry ? Croil in 
forms us that it was not by accident, but design. 
The Highlanders being principally Roman Catho 
lics, were placed close to the French, of Lower 
Canada, who were of the same faith ; and, to avoid 
disputes between the British-born Protestants and 
the Roman Catholics, the German element was 
interposed as a barrier. 

ANCIENT NAMES. 

Among the Palatines (the Palatines were Protes 
tants, originally from the banks of the Rhine, who 
suffered persecution in the Seventeenth century), 
who came to America, and settled in New York and 
Pennsylvania, were persons of the following names, 
from whom spring many of the United Empire 
Loyalists : Cole, Dulmage, Grier, Heck, Rose, 
Young, Lawrence, and Williams. From the Dutch 
Colony of New York sprang the names Alguire, 
Myers, Bogaert, Pietersen, Hagermen, and Bennett. 



In a list of officers in the Province of New York, 
1693, the following names appear : Phillips, Law 
rence, Young, Marshall, Shaw, Evertts, Barker, 
Platt, Harrison. Among the militia officers of 
New York, in 1700, we find Booth, Moore, Wheler, 
Kechum, Wright, Coles, Lake, Rose. 

List of inhabitants, County of Orange, N. Y., 
1702 : Mieyer, Coeper, and Merritt. 

Freeholders of Albany, 1720: Williams, Collins, 
Gardiner, and Digman. 

In 1750-60, New York contained citizens by the 
name of Jordan, Denham, Grant, Spencer, Peterson, 
Wilson, Church, and Gibson. 

Census of New York, about 1703 : Loukes, White, 
Taylor, Johnston, Bogert, Waldron, Davis, Marshall, 
Clapp. 

Roll of those who have taken the oath of allegi 
ance, September, 1687 : Waldron, Culver, Jessop, 
Rodgers, Erie, Butler, Johnes (Jones ; spelled also 
on an ancient map of Brockville, Joans), Whiting, 
Arnold, Washbourn, Booth, Bradly, Giles, Osmond, 
and Miller. 

Many of the above names will be found familiar 
in Leeds and Grenville, although in some instances 
the spelling has been materially changed. 

THE HUNGRY SUMMER. 

In the year 1787, the universal cry that arose from 
Upper Canada was "bread ! bread ! bread ! " though 
the height of the famine was not reached until the 
summer of 1788. The sad condition of the Province 
was brought about by a failure of the crops, and by 
the government ceasing to grant the usual supplies 
to new settlers, who came into the country totally 
unprovided for, and, unable to raise crops, were 
reduced to the greatest straits, and in many instances 
experienced all the horrors of a famine. In the 
vicinity of Maitland there was raised a field of wheat, 
which escaped the frost and came to maturity at an 
early period in the summer. The people flocked to 
the field in large numbers, even before the wheat 
ripened, taking the milk-like heads and boiling them 
into a kind of gruel. Half-starved children haunted 
the banks of the river, begging sea-biscuit from the 
passing boatmen. It is related that one gentleman, 
who was en route from the lower Province, was so 
touched with the plaintive appeals that he gave up 
his last crust and had not a mouthful for himself 
for three days. Money was sent to Montreal and 
Quebec for flour, but the answer came back, "We 
have none to spare." Salt rose in some localities to 
the enormous price of one dollar a quart. Indian 
cabbage, or cale, ground nuts, and even the young 
buds of trees, were eagerly devoured. Fish and 
game, when caught, were frequently roasted in the 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



woods, and eaten without pepper or salt. Families 
existed for months on oat porridge, beef bones were 
boiled again and again, boiled bran was a luxury, 
farms were offered for a few pounds of flour. Fish 
were caught with a hook made from the backbone 
of the pike and speared in the small creeks with a 
crotched pole. In the Province, five individuals 
were found dead, including one poor woman with 
a live infant at her breast. The infant was carried 
away and protected. 

Deacon Obediah Reed, who resided in the Town 
ship of Augusta, found that he must obtain supplies 
from a distance, and, for that purpose, started on a 
journey, by boat, to the western portion of the 
Province, where he had friends. He left behind 
him a wife and two small children, with provisions 
for two weeks. Owing to an unforseen delay, he 
was not able to reach home until the ninth day 
after the provisions were exhausted. The patient 
wife, with her babes, portioned out the supply so 
as to make it last as long as possible ; but, alas ! 
the night came when the last crust was exhausted, 
and starvation stared the family in the face. After 
offering up a fervent prayer for succor, she retired. 
In the morning, what was her surprise, to find that 
the cat had caught a fat rabbit during the night, 
and was waiting at the door of the log cabin, when 
the hungry and anxious mother arose. For eight 
nights in succession, the feline provider was equally 
successful, having a rabbit each morning with which 
to supply the larder. On the ninth day, her hus 
band returned, bringing with him a supply of 
provisions. Strange to relate, from that time, the 
cat was never known to catch a rabbit. Mrs. Reed 
frequently related the circumstance ; and, it is 
needless to say, that the pious lady was, during 
the remainder of her life, a firm believer in 
"special Providence," knowing from experience, 
that 

1 God moves in a mysterious way 
His wonders to perform." 

In consequence of the price and scarcity of tea, 
the early settlers considered it a great luxury, to 
be used only on state occasions. Various substi 
tutes were in use sassafras, hemlock, and a wild 
herb called the tea-plant. One Methodist minister 
was highly popular with the ladies in this section, 
because he always brought with him a supply for 
" the cup which cheers, but not inebriates." 

Generosity, and a desire to assist new-comers, 
was a characteristic of the pioneers. Not only 
were articles of every conceivable nature lent 
and borrowed, but the heavy work was mostly 
accomplished by means of " bees," at which all the 



neighbors were invited for miles around. At such 
gatherings, the " flowing bowl " was considered an 
indispensible adjunct. 

Either the liquor, at that time, was superior to 
that at present manufactured, or the appetite for 
strong drink has increased to an alarming extent. 
One thing is certain our forefathers were un 
acquainted with the fearful headaches which at 
present occasionally make their appearance, for no 
well explained reason. As a sample of early 
drinking customs, we quote the following, from a 
manuscript prepared by Mr. Purvis, of Mallory- 
town : 

" One morning, two farmers found the remains of 
a tramp in the corner of the fence, above Jones 
Creek, While they were discussing the propriety 
of sending for a coroner, to hold an inquest, Mr, 
Jones, of Brockville, made his appearance, on horse 
back. He informed the yeomen that the nearest 
coroner resided at Gananoque, and that, in his 
opinion, it was not necessary to incur any needless 
expense ; advising that a cheap coffin be procured, 
and the remains be interred, at the same time con 
tributing $2 towards defraying the expense. After 
his departure, the farmers proceeded to search the 
pockets of the corpse, finding $2.50. The neighbors 
were summoned, a coffin made, and religious ser 
vices held in a log house at Yong s Mills. There 
being no regular clergyman in this part of the 
country at that time, one of the best educated 
and influential settlers was chosen to conduct the 
service. The burial rites being over, it was discov 
ered that a balance - of $1.50 remained unexpended. 
The question immediately arose, as to how it should 
be spent. By universal consent, it was decided 
to invest it in spirits. A supply was procured in a 
pail, the entire congregation assisting in disposing 
of the same a task which was speedily accom 
plished. At that time, nothing was thought of the 
matter, the custom of drinking being almost 
universal." 

At a very early date, the members of the Church 
of England attempted to erect a church on one of 
the sand-hills of Augusta, near the present residence 
of Mr. Guy C. Reed. Part of the foundation was 
laid, when it was decided to make a "grand bee," 
to which all the settlers were invited. A barrel of 
whiskey was secured for the occasion, and, for a 
time, 

"All went merry as a marriage-bell," 

But, sad to relate ! the supply of stimulant proved 
more than a match for the hardy settlers. Things 
became inextricably mixed confusion reigned 
supreme ; and, in place of the wall going up, it was 
knocked down, and there it remains to this day, 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



After the "bee," the project of building a church at 
that place, was abandoned. 

Although, in early times, there was less ostenta 
tion and display pertaining to church matters, than 
in the present day, yet there are not lacking many 
who sincerely believe that genuine piety was quite 
as plentiful then, as it is in 1878. Itinerant minis 
ters were joyfully welcomed to every rude cabin ; 
and it was only necessary to send word that services 
would be held at any given point, to bring together 
the people for miles around. 



CHAPTER IX. 
EARLY CHURCHES. 

METHODISTS. 

IN early days a Methodist Missionary was quite a 
curiosity, the preaching of the itinerant Missionaries 
attracting congregations drawn from miles around. 
For many years, service was held in the log cabins 
and under the shade of the spreading forest ; thus 
were the foundations of the church laid, which 
through successive generations has kept pace with 
the civilization and progress of the country. 

The Methodist Church planted its first seeds in 
America, in the city of New York, three years after 
Canada became a British Province. When the 
Revolution broke out, among the Loyalists driven 
from that country were many of the Methodist faith, 
who subsequently settled in Canada. In both Upper 
and Lower Canada, the first Methodist preachers 
were connected with the British army. Tuffey, a Com 
missary of the 44th, held services at Quebec, where 
his regiment was disbanded in 1783. George Neal, 
an Irish Major of a Cavalry Regiment, preached in 
the Niagara District in 1786. In 1788, Lyons and 
James McCarthy entered the Province, laboring in 
the vicinity of the Bay of Quinte. Many members 
of the Church of England held at that time that 
persons not loyal to the Established Church, must of 
necessity be disloyal to the Crown. The conse 
quence was that McCarthy suffered arrest as a vaga 
bond, and was thrown into Kingston gaol. At his trial 
he was sentenced to banishment. Such was the re 
ception given to a missionary labouring for the con 
version of the people. The first regular preacher of 
the Methodist Church in Canada was William 
Losee, who preached several sermons in Leeds and 
Grenville in 1790. 

The names of Embury and Heck are linked in 
everlasting honor with the cause of Methodism. It 
Was through the intercession of Barbara Heck, wife 
of Paul Heck, that David and Philip Embury were 
persuaded to commence preaching. David Embury 
held services in a ship loft, William street, New York, 



in 1766 ; was driven out of that State during the 
Revolution, for his loyalty to the king, and settled 
at Hay Bay, in Fredericksburgh. The ashes of 
Philip Embury were urned in 1822, by the Metho 
dists of the United States. The same relentless 
persecution drove Paul and Barbara Heck to Canada, 
they finding a resting place in the Township of 
Augusta. The Hecks were of Irish origin, Barbara 
having been converted in that country, at the early 
age of eight years. She was a woman of holy life, 
fired with a burning zeal for the cause. Her remains 
were interred at the " old Blue Church Cemetery," 
between Prescott and Maitland. Beside the blue 
waters of the St. Lawrence she sleeps the sleep of 
death, her grave visited from year to year by the 
followers of Wesley, from distant States and Pro 
vinces, all ready to drop a reverential tear on the 
sod, green as her memory in the hearts of her 
countrymen. 

Carroll gives the following account of the Hecks : 
" Paul and Barbara Heck resided, for a time, at 
Camden, where they were the founders of another 
new Methodist cause. They lived in Lower Canada 
ten years, coming to Augusta in 1785, settling on 
Lot No. 4, 3rd Concession, in the neighborhood of 
Big Creek, where a class was immediately gathered, 
in which was embraced John Lawrence, who mar 
ried P. Embury s widow, with Samuel Embury, 
Philip s son, for leader. Barbara died in 1804, her 
funeral sermon being preached by Colonel David 
Breakenridge, who was magistrate, militia colonel, 
and local elder, all in one, and who performed more 
baptisms in that region than all the other local 
preachers put together. Breakenridge was a U. E. 
Loyalist, and an ardent Tory. Possessing a fair 
education and a large public experience, he occu 
pied a foremost position. As a preacher, he was 
caustic and severe ; he would advise those who 
were so strenuous about the quantity of water in 
baptism, to make thorough work of it, and have 
themselves put to soak over night, and those 
that carried their divinity in their pocket, to put 
a lock and key on it, lest they should lose it. " 

The first Methodist church built in America was 
erected on John Street, New York. Among the 
original subscribers appears the name of Paul Heck, 
for three pounds five shillings. 

In 1791, the first Methodist church in Canada was 
projected, the spot selected being Hay Bay, on the 
farm of Paul Huff. 

Darius Dunham, at one time a popular preacher 
in this district, was taken on trial, in 1788, and 
removed to Canada in 1792. ^In consequence of his 
faithfulness in reproving sinners, he acquired the 
name of "Scolding Dunham," 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



The following anecdote is related of this fearless 
preacher : 

"A new-made Squire bantered Dunham before 
some company about riding so fine a horse, and 
told him he was very unlike his humble Master, 
who was content to ride on an ass. Dunham re 
sponded, with his usual imperturbable gravity, and 
in his heavy and measured tones, that he agreed 
with him perfectly, and that he would most assur 
edly imitate his Master in the particular mentioned, 
only for the difficulty in finding the animal required, 
the Government having made all the asses into 
magistrates." 

On one occasion, an infidel attempted to destroy 
the effect of a sermon which Dunham was preach 
ing, by turning it into ridicule. At first the preacher 
affected not to notice him, but went on ex 
tolling the excellency of Christianity. All at 
once, he turned .to the spot where the scoffer sat, 
and, fixing his eyes on him, thundered out : Shall 
Christianity and her votaries, after having passed 
through fire and water, after having vanquished the 
opposition put forth by philosophers and kings 
after all this, I say, shall the servants of God, at 
this time of day, allow themselves to be frightened 
by the braying of an ass " 

In 1792, Dunham had charge of the Oswegatchie 
circuit, which consisted of the present Townships 
of Edwardsburg, Augusta. Elizabethtown, and 
Yonge (comprising the western part), with Matilda, 
Williamsburg, Osnabruck, and Cornwall, as the 
eastern. 

Sylvanus Keeler commenced travelling in 1795, 
on the Bay of Quinte District. Carroll says of this 
preacher : " The name of Sylvanus Keeler, converted 
and raised up into the ministry in Canada, in the 
Elizabethtown country, not far from where Brock- 
ville now stands, is worthy of being rescued from 
oblivion. He had no advantages of an early educa 
tion, but by industry surmounted this defect, by 
self-culture becoming possessed of a tolerable know 
ledge of the English language. His zeal and fervor 
knew no bounds, and he was frequently, for three 
months at a time, absent from wife and family. 
He settled on a farm near Brockville, where he was 
known as Father Keeler, being remarkable in 
appearance for his long flowing hair, white as wool. 
He lived and died a good man." 

Among the early missionaries was Calvin \Vooster, 
a man of mighty prayer and faith, who exerted a 
powerful influence along the St. Lawrence. At a 
prayer-meeting held by Wooster, a stout opposer of 
the Methodists, hearing that his wife was present, 
rushed violently into the room, seized his wife, and 
dragged her to the door ; when attempting to open 

4 



it, lie was himself stricken with trembling, his knees 
failed him, and he fell helpless upon the floor. 

James Coleman. Samuel Coate, Michael Coate, 
Joseph Sawyer, William Anson, James Heron, Daniel 
Pickett, Samuel Draper, Seth Crowell, James Aikins, 
John Robinson, and Caleb Morris, conducted the 
missionary work in 1801, and at the Conference of 
1802, reported a total membership of 1,502 members. 

The celebrated Lorenzo Dow paid two visits to 
Canada, and was, in fact, the first regular Methodist 
missionary to visit Lower Canada. Proceeding 
from Quebec to Ireland, he labored in the Emerald 
Isle for sixteen months, returned to the United 
States, and came into Canada in 1802, preaching 
several times in the Johnstown District, and cross 
ing the St. Lawrence at Cornwall. 

The first class-meeting held in Eastern Ontario 
was at Big Creek, in the Township of Augusta, 
where the Hecks and other pioneer Methodists had 
established services. Among the early converts in 
Matilda was a young man named Joseph Brouse, 
known for many years afterwards as " Uncle Joe 
Brouse." Other converts in that section were 
Michael Carman, Peter Brouse, and John Van 
Camp. In 1797, a great revival commenced in this 
section, which spread westward, and resulted in the 
conversion of large numbers. 

The first camp-meeting held in Canada was at 
Hay Bay, in 1805. The ministers present were 
Cole, Ryan, Pickett, Keeler, Madden, and Bangs. 
In 1812, Elder Ryan announced to the settlers of 
the Rideau that a camp-meeting would be held in 
that section, the grove selected being on the plot of 
ground w y here Kilmarnock now stands. The people 
assembled, and in a few hours learned that the 
United States had declared war against Great 
Britain. The result was a general stampede for 
home, to make preparations for the impending 
struggle. 

The Rev. William Brown, of the Rideau, was a 
member of the first class organized in that section, 
the number in the class being five. From this little 
acorn, the reverend gentleman lived to see arise 
and flourish the sturdy oak of Methodism, whose 
ample branches proved a resting-place for thou 
sands. 

William Brown was born in Duchess County, 
August 27th, 1769. He came to Canada in 1795, 
and first settled not far from the St. Lawrence, ort 
the town line between Augusta and Edwardsburg. 
It is believed that he belonged to the class estab 
lished by the Hecks. Subsequently he removed to 
Woll ord, where he was known as " Priest Brown." 
He was thrice married, his second wife being a 
Scotch woman, the widowed mother of the Rev. 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



William Smith. He was a good preacher, plain, 
clear, chaste, strong, and energetic. A portion of 
his family settled in South Crosby. Priest Brown 
was the grandfather of the Rev. William Brown, of 
theM. E. Church, Rufus Brown, and Cephus Brown, 
and the great-grandfather of Arthur Brown, School 
Inpector of Dundas, and Dr. Brown, of Morrisburg. 

In Wolford, the first building erected expressly as 
a place of worship, was the old chapel near the resi 
dence of Joseph Ferguson, Esq., commenced in 1820. 
The second was the Cox Chapel, built principally 
by a man of that name, but deeded to the Methodist 
Church. 

Among the first missionaries to visit the Rideau, 
were Coates, Losee, and Dr. Bangs. They were 
succeeded by the venerable Case, Whitehead, Jef- 
fers, and others. In the latter part of 1822, the late 
venerable Healey, after many difficulties, found his 
way to the Rideau Circuit. While moving out with 
his family, night overtook them, and they were 
forced to take up lodgings at the foot of a tree. It 
is related that, upon one occasion, he was compelled 
to hold service in a shanty, which served the pur 
pose of kitchen, dining-room, chapel and stable, 
his horse being fed at one end of the room. The 
service commenced, and much to the astonishment 
of the worshipers, the beast stopped eating, and did 
not take another mouthful until the benediction 
was pronounced. 

Samuel Coate, whose life was characterized by a 
glowing enthusiasm and tireless activity, entered 
Canada in 1796 ; removed to the United States, and 
returned again in 1804. He married Miss Dulmage, 
a person of remarkable beauty, and, ever after, hus 
band and wife were known as the "handsome pair." 

Among the early local preachers in Brockville, 
was Luther Houghton, still a hale old gentleman, 
and a resident of that town. 

Elder Ryan began the agitation for separation 
from the American Church, and circulated petitions 
to that effect, to be presented at the Conference of 
1828. To him is due the honor of adopting as a 
watchword, " Loyal Methodism against Republican 
Methodism." In his crusade, Ryan was nobly 
seconded by Captain Breakenridge, who joined 
with him in holding conventions and circulating 
petitions. Breakenridge visited the General Con 
ference with Ryan, but the petitions were not 
received. 

One of the arguments adduced by Ryan, in favor 
of the separation, is worthy of more than a passing 
notice. It was that the Government regarded the 
alliance with dislike, and refused to grant power to 
Methodist ministers to solemnize marriages, though 
it had made valid, by an Act passed at the Second 



Session of the LTpper Canada Parliament, "mar 
riages by magistrates, commanding officers of a 
port, adjutants, majors, or any other person in any 
other public office or employment." After that 
date, marriages were to be solemnized by magis 
trates, if there were not five ministers in the district, 
or none living within eighteen miles of either person 
to be married. 

The result of the action of the Conference was 
that Ryan, and a limited number of followers, 
mostly along the Bay of Quinte and in the Johns 
town District, separated from the Church, and 
formed a new body, called the "Canadian Wesleyan 
Methodist Church ;" but at the General Conference 
which assembled at Pittsburg, in May, 1828, the 
memorial from Canada was considered and granted, 
thus terminating the discussion. 

In 1802, Father Vannest made a journey from 
Bastard to the Rideau settlement, through the 
woods. On the shore of the Rideau River, he 
found an Indian encamped, who asked for some 
tobacco, which was given to him. The next morn 
ing, the Indian brought a leg of venison, remark 
ing : "You urn, you eat um ; you welcome "bacco." 
This savage drew a sketch with a stick, on the sand, 
showing the lakes, rivers, and carrying places to 
the Castle of the tribe, one thousand miles distant. 
Distances were indicated thus : One finger for a 
hundred miles, a crooked finger for fifty, and a 
finger across the crooked one for twenty-five miles. 

Among the lay celebrities on the St. Lawrence. 
were Alexander Rose, of Williamsburg ; Paul Glass- 
ford, of Matilda ; and Colonel Stone, of Gananoque, 
all of whom kept open houses for .the travelling 
ministers. 

In 1811, Bishop Asbury paid a visit to Canada, 
crossing the St. Lawrence at Cornwall. He pro 
ceeded westward, calling on Paul Glassford, of 
Matilda, Father Dulmage, and the Hecks. One 
night was spent with David Breakenridge, at his 
residence, near Maitland. Service was held in 
Elizabethtown, at Lyn, where the Bishop was en 
tertained by Brother Boyce (father of Mr. David 
Boyce.) At Gananoque he was warmly welcomed 
by Colonel Stone. From that point he journeyed 
to Elias Dulmage s, and thence to the Bay of 
Quinte. 

Among the soldiers of the Cross was John 
Reynolds, born in the Township of Oxford, and 
an assistant on the Augusta Circuit, in 1808, but 
better known as " Bishop Reynolds," who headed 
one of the largest disruptions from the Methodist 
body that ever occurred in LTpper Canada. 

The labors of Wyatt Chamberlain are recorded 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



2 7 



in the biographical sketch, which, with his portrait, 
will be found in the chapter devoted to Kitley. 

On the 2ist of June, 1817, the General Conference 
was held at the Elizabethtown Meeting-house (Lyn). 
Twenty-two preachers from the wilds of Canada, 
and sixty from the State of New York, assembled, 
all being entertained in a most hospitable manner 
by the Halleck s, Boyce s, Row s, Coleman s, Cas- 
well s, Brown s, and many other equally amiable 
settlers. 

During the Conference, the flame of revival burst 
forth and swept over the Province. The old chapel 
was filled from eight in the morning until late at 
night, the meeting being known for many years as 
the " Revival Conference." Among the converted 
were Miss Hallock (daughter of the Rev. William 
Hallock), she subsequently becoming the wife of 
Wyatt Chamberlayne, and Miss Caswell, who after 
wards became affianced to a preacher. 

"Priest Brown," at this Conference, was discon 
tinued from the itinerant work, but in 1829, again 
entered the field as Presiding Elder of the Rideau 
Circuit. 

Ninian Holmes, of Irish descent, is believed to 
have been converted in Elizabethtown, where he 
resided during the war of 1812. His memory is 
held in veneration by the old people of the Ottawa 
and Augusta Circuits. Having served in the army, 
he had the appearance of a cavalry man, fully 
accoutred. Several of his descendants reside in the 
County of Leeds. 

Among the ministers in charge of the Oswegatchie 
District were the following, want of space prevent 
ing any extended notice : Joseph Jewell, James 
Herron, William Anson, James Aikins, S. Crowell, 
N. U. Tompkins, Luther Bishop, Thomas Madden, 
Nathan Bangs, Gershom Pearce, J. B. Smith, C. 
Hulbert, William Snow, Edward Cooper, Elias 
Pattie, John Rhodes, E. Cooper, S. Hopkins, Israel 
Chamberlain, John Arnold, Andrew Prindle, Peter 
Jones, Thomas McGee, Wyatt Chamberlayne, Robt. 
Jeffers, C. N. Flint, T. Goodwin, T. Demorest, R. M. 
K. Smith, G. Farr, Philander Smith, William Jones, 
William K. Williams, Ezra Healey, Joseph Castle, C. 
Wood, and others. 

PRESBYTERIANS. 

The Rev. John Bethune, a native of Scotland, 
came to America before the Rebellion ; being a 
Loyalist, he wqs stripped of all his property. Join 
ing the force in Canada, he was appointed Chaplain 
of the Eightieth Regiment. He settled at Cornwall, 



where he resided for many years, breathing his last 
at Williamstown, September 23rd, 1815. 

In 1795, the Presbyterians of Dundas received a 
grant of seventy acres of land in Williamsburg, 
securing the same year the services of the Rev. 
John Euclewig Broeffle, who officiated exclusively 
in the German language. His stipend never ex 
ceeded one hundred dollars per annum. At the 
age of seventy-six, he walked fifteen miles to 
preach, but never recovered from the over-exertion. 
He died at \Villiamsburg, in 1815, having labored 
unremittingly for twenty years for a niggardly 
pittance. 

The early history of the United Counties is inti 
mately connected with the life of the Rev. William 
Smart. He was one of the pioneers of religion, and 
no man did more for the moral and religious in 
terests of the people than Mr. Smart. 

In Augusta, Yonge, and Elizabethtown, the want 
was long felt and loudly expressed, that a pastor be 
obtained for the establishment of a Presbyterian 
Church. After several unsuccessful calls, they ob 
tained the services of Mr. Smart. This was in the 
year 1811. Mr. Smart was at the time persuing his 
studies at the Theological Seminary of Gosport, 
England, intending to go to India as a missionary. 
Accepting the call to Canada, he was ordained a 
minister, at the Scotch Church, Swallow Street, 
London. He arrived in Elizabethtown on the 7th 
of October, 1811, and immediately commenced his 
work in various parts of the county, his field of 
labor extending from Gananoque to Cornwall, and 
from the St. Lawrence to Perth His task was one 
of no ordinary character : roads there were none, 
while his work was of the most exhausting descrip 
tion. He was never a robust man, still his health 
seldom failed him ; with truth may it be said, he 
went about doing his Master s work with cheerful 
ness. We cannot conclude this brief and incomplete 
sketch without bearing testimony to the worth of the 
deceased. He was simple and childlike, and yet 
earnest in his sacred work. So long as the children 
of the original settlers maintain their memories, the 
name of the Rev. William Smart will be held dear 
by them. 

Mr. Smart was scarcely inducted into his new 
office when war was declared between England and 
the United States. This was a sad blow to the 
progress of the country, both in a moral and religious 
point of view. Men were compelled to leave their 
homes to take up the sword. Yet to the credit of 
the parties who had been instrumental in bringing 
Mr. Smart to Canada, they carried out their pledges 
to support him as a minister, paying him a yearly 
stipend of $600. It may be of interest to know the 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



names of these early Christian pioneers, who entered 
into the agreement with Mr. Smart, the}- are there 
fore appended : 

J. Breakenridge, Peter Purvis, 

Joseph McNish, Elnathan Hubble, 

Bartholomew Carley, Josiah Jones, 

Adiel Sherwood, James Dunham, 

Robert McLean, Rufus C. Henderson. 
William Wells, 

The agreement was completed on the third day of 
October, 1812. All of the above named gentlemen 
have gone to their reward, although many of their 
descendants are still residents of the Counties. 

At an early date, Mr. Smart turned his attention 
to the erection of a suitable place of worship, the 
congregation having only the old Court House to 
meet in. It is well also to mention that Mr. Smart 
established a Sabbath School in iSn, immediately 
after his arrival here, Adiel Sherwood, Esq., being 
the first Superintendent. He also opened a second 
Sabbath School in Yonge in 1818 ; and in 1819 en 
tered upon his duties in the new church, to the 
erection of which he gave, as his subscription to the 
building fund, one year s salary, an act of great 
generosity. 

In 1821, through the exertion of their pastor, the 
congregation was united to the first Presbytery 
formed in Canada. In 1825, Mr. Smart visited 
England, returning in the following year. With 
untiring zeal he continued his labours among the 
people, so long as his health permitted. In 
1848, however, he was released from the more 
arduous duties of his calling, by the appoint 
ment of the Rev. John McMurray as assistant 
minister. lie still, however, continued to preach 
in Yonge and other localities, the old settlers 
being very much attached to him. He had been 
with them in their sorrows and their joys at birth,-, 
marriages and deaths ; and the chords of many a 
heart vibrated with emotion at the sound of his \vrll 
known voice. 

It may be well to remark that when the union of 
the Presbyterian Churches with the Church of 
Scotland took place, Mr. Smart was the principal 
mover. The Yonge congregation, however, felt it 
their duty to insert a clause in tiie agreement, to 
the effect that their union in no way bound them to 
support the principle of patronage. This clause was 
agreed to, and the union consummated in January, 
1841. This important proviso left Mr. Smart and 
his people at liberty to leave the union at the time 
of the disruption between the Church of Scotland 
and the Free Church, which they did in 1X43. 

In 1848, Mr. Smart s duties as a settled minister 
came to an end. He had then been in the field, 



doing missionary work, for a period of thirty-seven 
years years of arduous and exhausting labours. 
From that date he gave his services principally to 
\onge, removing to Gananoque, his place of resi 
dence, where he was called to everlasting rest. He 
left one son by his first wife, the late Judge Smart, 
of Belleville. 

Upon one occasion, an attempt was made by a 
portion of the congregation to introduce instru 
mental music, in connection with the choir. It 
being utterly impossible to secure an organ, the 
best substitute was a bass viol. On Sunday, the 
hymn was given out, when to, the horror of one of 
the elders, there arose, loud and clear, the notes of 
what he considered an enormous fiddle. Rising 
from his pew, he proceeded, in great haste, 
to the gallery, grasped the bow from the hands 
of the astonished musician, breaking it across 
his knee, and, at the same time, muttering : " U ell 
hare lit! nc of the deril s playthings in the House o Got/! 

THE LUTHERAN CHURCH. 
It is an historical fact worthy of remembrance by 
every Protestant in Canada, that the first Protestant 
church erected in the Dominion, from the Atlantic 
to the Pacific, was built in the County of Dundas, 
Township of Williamsburg, by the Lutherans. In 
1789 they commenced the erection of a frame 
church, which, however, was not raised until the 
Spring of 1790. The Rev. Samuel Schwerdfeger, a 
United Empire Loyalist, was the first pastor, and 
arrived in Dundas in June, 1790, and by him the 
first Protestant church in the Canadas was conse 
crated to God. A second church was built by the 
Lutherans in Matilda, in 1792. In both churches 
the German language was used exclusively. 
THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND. 
According to Wakely, the first Protestant Church 
built in America, was the Reformed Dutch Church, 
of New York, erected in 1633. The first Rector of 
the Church of England, in New York, was the Rev. 
William Vesey. The first Protestant clergyman 
that officiated in Upper Canada was Dr. Ogelvie, 
who acted in the capacity of a chaplain to a British 
Regiment, in the expedition to Fort George, in 1759. 
The first Episcopal clergyman to settle in Canada 
was the Rev. John Stuart. The following is a 
memoir of Dr. Stuart : 

"MEMOIR OF THE REV. JOHN STUART, D. D., FATHER 
OF THE UPPER CANADA CHURCH. HE OPENF.IJ 
THE FIRST ACADEMY AT CATARAO.UI 
KINGSTON, 1786. Tur. LAST MIS 
SIONARY TO THK MOHAWKS. 

The necessity of having missionaries of the 
Church of England resident among the Mohawks 
was brought before the Society for Promoting of 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



29 



the Gospel, a few years before the Revolution, both 
by Sir William Johnston and the Rev. Mr. Inglis, of 
New York, the last of whom also laid the subject 
before the Government of England, in the form of 
a memorial. In 1770, the Society consented to 
ordain a missionary for the exclusive service of the 
Mohawks, John Stuart, who was selected for this 
purpose, was born at Harrisburg, Pa., in 1730. In 
1770, he proceeded to England for ordination, and 
received Holy Orders, being, at the same time, 
appointed missionary to the Mohawks of Fort 
Hunter." 

In consequence of his loyalty to the British Crown, 
Mr. Stuart was driven to Canada in 1781. In 1784, 
he proceeded from Montreal to Kingston, stopping 
on the way at the place afterwards call New Johns- 
tou-n, which he was instrumental in naming after 
the Johnstown settlement on the Mohawk. He was 
undoubtedly the first English Clergyman to hold 
services in the United Counties. He was dealt with 
in the most liberal manner by the government, and at 
the first session of parliament in 1792, was named 
Chaplain of the Upper House of Assembly. He 
died August 15, 1811, in the seventy-first year of his 
age, and was buried at Kingston. 

At an early date attempts were made to establish 
an English Church in Elizabethtown ; service was 
held in private houses, and, after its erection, in the 
old Court House. From a mutilated record of the 
proceedings of St. Peter s Church, Brockville, we 
learn that marriages were celebrated by a clergyman 
having charge of the spiritual welfare of the people 
in 1811. The clergyman, at that time, was not a 
resident, so far as we have been able to ascertain. 

The first marriage on the record bears the date 
September 25th, 1811, and chronicles the union of 
George Manhard and Jenny Rorison. 

The first clergyman in charge of St. Peter s 
Church (according to the Church books), was the 
Rev. John Bethune, who, on the 1 2th day of 
January, 1816, married Andrew Jackson to Sarah 
Blodget. On the 7th of November, of the same 
year, he joined in wedlock the Rev. William Smart 
to Philena Jones. 

Mr. Bethune appears to have taken charge of 
Elizabethtown, Yonge, and Augusta, _and to have 
severed his connection with the parish in the latter 
part of 1818. removing to Montreal, where he was 
known as Dean Bethune, having succeeded the Rev. 
Mr. Atkinson, who removed to Upper Canada. 

In January, 1819, the Rev. John Leeds took 
charge of the Church, celebrating a marriage on 
the i4th of that month. It is worthy of notice, 
that the records first bear the date of Brockville in 



1817, previous to that time, the date being Eliza 
bethtown. The last record in the Parish Register, 
in the handwriting of Mr. Leeds, was penned 
February 28lh, 1825 ; Mr. Leeds being succeeded 
by C. Stewart, who at first signed all documents 
as " Officiating Minister," but subsequently as " Min 
ister." He appears to have commenced his duties 
in April, 1825, relinquishing them the same month 
probably officiating until the vacancy was filled 
by a regular appointment. 

In July, 1825, the name of John Wenham appears 
as Minister, and continues until July, 25th, 1830. 
The baptisms were at that time mostly performed 
privately, but in some instances the ceremony took 
place in the Court House or school house. 

Mr. Wenham was rather a remarkable character , 
wearing a cocked hat, and a coat embellished with 
brass buttons. He was a brother of the manager, 
at that time, of the Brockville Branch of the Bank 
of Upper Canada. Mr. Wenham subsequently 
returned to England, where his eldest son became 
a priest in the Roman Catholic Church. 

The next clergyman was the Rev. W. H. Gunning, 
who remained in charge until the middle of July, 
1833, when he was appointed Rector of the New 
Dublin Parish. 

On the Sixth Sunday after Trinity, E. Dunroches 
assumed charge of the parish. During the years 
1826 and 1827, St. Peter s Church was erected, but 
was not dedicated until 1834, as the following 
minute in the Parish Register shows : 

"On the Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity, in the 
year of our Lord, 1834, and on the 3151 day of 
August, the Church of this Parish was consecrated 
to the service of Almighty God, by Charles James, 
by Divine permission, Lord Bishop of Quebec, 
and was then entitled Saint Peter s Church. The 
Honorable Charles Jones presented and gave into 
the hand of the Right Reverend the Bishop the 
title deed, and also the key of the Church, at the 
same time." 

The original site chosen for the Church was the 
plot now occupied by the Canada Methodist Church, 
Court House Square ; the land having been ten 
dered to the congregation by the late William 
Buell. Mr. Charles Jones also offered the site 
actually chosen, and, after considerable discussion, 
his proposal was accepted. 

Mr. Dunroches was succeeded by the following 
clergymen : Dr. Lewis, now Bishop of Ontario, 
residing at Ottawa; Mr. David, Curate ; Dr. Lauder, 
who removed to Ireland, where he died ; Mr. Tane, 
and Canon Multch. 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



The following 1 are among the early marriages 
recorded in the Parish Register : 

February gth, 1815. Abel Wright and Sally 
Landon. 

February 26th, 1815. John White and Sally 
Weldon, 

February 26th, 1815, William Bottum and Martha 
Hurd. 

April 2nd, 1815. William Evertts and Trene 
Smith. 

March 27th, 1818. Asael Wright and Eleanor 
Carpenter. 

April 29th, 1818. John Henry Bolton and Eliza 
Jones. 

December ist, 1819. Lawren Fulford and Sus 
anna Purday. 

December J4th, 1819. William Healey and Sarah 
Evertts. 

February i3th, 1820. Samuel Parish and Francis 
Dack. 

August 28th, 1820. Charles D. Wick\vire and 
Elizabeth White. 

December igth, 1820. Truman Wiltse and Eleanor 
Smythe. 

February 4th, 1821. Luther Houghton and Sabra 
Billings. 

THE ROMAN CATHOLICS. 

The first Roman Catholic Priest to visit this sec 
tion of Upper Canada, after its settlement by the 
English, was the Rev. Alex. McDonnell, afterwards 
created the first Bishop of Upper Canada. From a 
memorandum furnished by J. P. McDonnell, of 
Belleville, we learn that the father of the church in 
UpperCanada was born in the year 1760, in Glengarry, 
Scotland ; educated for the Priesthood at Valladolid 
College, in Spain ; for at that time no person pro 
fessing the Roman Catholic faith could be educated 
for a Priest in any part of the United Kingdom. He 
was ordained a Priest before the year 1790. He re 
turned to his native land, and officiated in Bade- 
noch, a small district in the north of Scotland ; also 
in the city of Glasgow. In 1798 he joined the 
Glengarry Fencibles, then on duty in Ireland, under 
the command of Lord McDonnell of Glengarry. In 
1804, the reverend gentleman came to Canada, and 
was consecrated first Bishop of Upper Canada, in 
1822. He died in Dumfriesshire in 1840. His body 
was laid in St. Mary s Church, Edinburgh, until 
removed to Canada, in 1862. His remains were 
taken from the cars at the station at Lancaster, 
Ontario, and carried to St. Raphael s Church, in 
which church he had spent some of his most useful 
days, administering the consolations of religion to 



his numerous co-religionists. His remains were 
escorted by thousands by people of all denomin 
ations to St. Andrew s Church, and thence to Corn 
wall depot, in order to convey his dust to the head 
of the See, at Kingston, where it now lies in the 
Cathedral of that ancient city, in which he, as 
Bishop, officiated for years, a favorite alike with 
both Protestant and Catholic. 

About the year 1806, when en route for the West, 
he celebrated Mass in Leeds, and on many subse 
quent occasions came up to Brockville, and held 
Mass in the house of Dr. Hubbell, although that 
gentleman was not a Roman Catholic. The de 
ceased Bishop is well remembered by many of our 
oldest citizens, and is invariably spoken of in terms 
of the highest respect. The history of Bishop Mc 
Donnell is the early history of the church in this 
Province. Not only did he attend faithfully to the 
spiritual wants of his parishoners, but his name and 
influence are indissolubly linked with the principal 
events bearing upon the growth and prosperity of 
the country. Driven from his native land to obtain 
an education, he was as loyal to the British Crown 
as any man that ever trod the heather of Scotland, 
or wandered through the wilderness of Canada. On 
many occasions he carried his vestments on his back 
from Glengarry to Kingston, undergoing privations 
and hardships with Christian fortitude and unwaver 
ing resolution. For many years he occupied the 
responsible position of Legislative Councillor, pos 
sessing great influence, not only with the Colonial, 
but also with the Imperial authorities. 

Not unmindful of the material interests of the 
church, he secured all the land which it at present 
possesses. In reply to a charge which was at one 
time made against him by malicious enemies, he 
said : "In 1804, there were but two Catholic 
clergymen in all Upper Canada, one of whom soon 
deserted his post. For ten years I had the whole of 
the Province in charge. During that period, I had 
to travel over the whole country from Lake Superior 
to the Lower Province line." 

Through the instrumentality of the Bishop, two 
corps were raised for the defence of the British 
flag; the first being the Glengarry Fencible Regi 
ment of Scotland, and the second the Glengarry 
Fencibles of this Province. 

For several years, a priest was stationed at Pres- 
cott, who held occasional services in Brockville. 

Sketches of the various parishes and of His Lord 
ship Bishop O Brien, will be found in another 
portion of the work. 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



QUAKERS. 

Canada was visited, in 1790, by two Quaker 
preachers of note ; they were David Sand and 
Elijah Hick. One of the first regular preachers 
settled in Canada was James Noxon, who resided 
in Adolphustown. A meeting-house was built near 
Jacob Cronks, in Sophiasburg, in 1829. From a 
very early date, the Society flourished in the vicinity 
of the Bay of Quinte, where, at the present time, it 
has many members. In the Rear of Yonge a 
meeting house was built at Farmersville, where the 
Society at one time boasted a large number of 
adherents ; but of late years, the sons and 
daughters have fallen away from the faith of their 
fathers. 



CHAPTER X. 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

THE first white child born of English parents in 
America, was the daughter of Mrs. Dore, of Virginia. 
According to the Registrar of Quebec, the first white 
child born in Canada was Eustache L Anglois, born 
October 24th, 1621. The father s name was Abra 
ham, and from him the Plains of Abraham derived 
their name. The first white child born north of the 
Rideau was Col. Edmund Burritt, yet alive, and a 
resident of Thornbury, Ontario. 

The first male child born in Leeds was James 
Sherwood, son of Thomas Sherwood ; the first 
female child was borne by the wife of Joseph White 
born on lot No. 4, 2nd Concession of Elizabeth- 
town. 

Among the pioneers, great difficulty was for many 
years experienced in the consummation of courtship, 
the Rev. Dr. Stuart being the only regular clergy 
man from the Lower Province line to Kingston. 
Sighing swains were compelled to wait for months, 
and in some cases for years, before the golden op 
portunity presented itself. To obviate this difficulty, 
in many instances, magistrates, colonels, majors, 
adjutants and surgeons consented to perform the 
ceremony. By the Act of 1783, these irregular mar 
riages were confirmed. The practice yet in vogue 
in rural sections, of keeping intending marriages a 
secret, no doubt, in a measure, grew out of the sys 
tem of posting up notices of the intention of persons 
to marry. The notices were frequently attached to 
trees by the roadside, and taken down by the parties 
most interested. Public opinion rapidly changed in 
favor of conferring the right to marry upon min 
isters of all denominations, and in 1798 an Act was 



passed, which made it lawful for the minister of any 
congregation professing to be a member of the 
Church of Scotland, the Lutheran Church, or a 
Calvinist Church, to marry according to the rites of 
such church. By a clause of this Act, the clergyman 
was compelled to appear at the Quarter Sessions, 
prove his office, and take the oath of allegiance. It 
will be observed that, by this Act, the Methodists 
and some other denominations were treated with 
contempt by the authorities at that time ruling the 
Province. An obvious right was withheld, and a 
grave injustice done to a body well deserving of 
recognition. In some instances the ministers were 
not disposed to quietly submit to the unjust law. 
Elder Ryan and the Rev. Mr. Smith, Ryan s son-in- 
law, both performed the ceremony. Ryan was in 
consequence banished from the Province, but was 
pardoned. Smith stood his trial, acted as his own 
lawyer, and got free. Justice was at last done by 
the Act of 1831, which, in addition to the churches 
before named, made it lawful for the remaining 
orthodox denominations to solemnize matrimony, 
after having obtained certificates from the Quarter 
Sessions. 

In May, 1814, the Government appointed five 
persons in the Province to issue marriage licenses, 
the point in Eastern Canada being Cornwall. 

The ladies of ye olden time, and particularly 
the brides, were dressed in a style essentially dif 
ferent from those shown in the fashion plates of the 
Bazar for 1878. Fancy bonnets, kid gloves, and 
silk dresses were never dreamed of. The most 
complete wardrobe consisted of a home-spun dress, 
deer-skin petticoats, dyed blue from the bark of the 
soft maple, and a squirrel-skin bonnet. In many 
instances, bride and bridegroom mounted the same 
horse, and rode away to the nearest magistrate, a 
happy couple. 

Mr. Hiel Sliter informs us that, in the rear of 
Lansdowne. the first wheeled vehicle was made by 
sawing the wheels from the end of a very large log, 
putting an axle in, and building a rough box above. 
No doubt, on such state occasions as a wedding, 
this unique vehicle was in request for the bridal 
tour. 

On the loth day of June, 1828, Doctor Peter 
Schofield delivered a temperance address to the 
inhabitants of Bastard. The address was published 
at the time, and a copy remains in the hands of his 
son, W. A. Schofield, Esq., of Brockville. The ad 
dress is remarkable in more than one particular. 
It was the first temperance address delivered in 
Canada, and led to the formation of the first tem 
perance society. It ?.lso contains an account of 
"spontaneous combustion," which came under the 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



eye of Dr. Schofield, who, it is needless to remark, 
was a physician of the highest character, and a 
gentleman with the most scrupulous regard for 
truth. We give the account in his own words : 

" Various are the ways by which drinking people 
are brought to their death. Some die lingering ; 
some commit suicide ; some are executed ; some 
die by violence ; some are drowned, some frozen, or 
burned up. This last instance being more than 
ordinary terrific, a few observations upon it may 
not be uninteresting. 

" it is well authenticated, that many habitual 
drinkers of ardent spirits are brought to their end 
by what is called spontaneous combustion. By 
spontaneous combustion, I mean, when a person 
takes on fire, as by an electric shock, and burns up 
without any external application. Trotter mentions 
several such instances. One happened under my 
own observation. It was the case of a young man 
about twenty-five years old ; he had been an habitual 
drinker for many years. I saw him about nine 
o clock in the evening on which it happened ; he 
was then, as usual, not drunk, but full of liquor. 
About eleven, the same evening, I was called to see 
him. I found him literally roasted, from the crown 
of his head to the soles of his feet. He was dis 
covered in a blacksmith s shop, just across the way 
from where he had been. The owner of the shop, 
all of a sudden, discovered a bright light in his 
shop, as though the whole building was in a general 
flame. He ran with the greatest precipitancy, and, 
on flinging open the door, discovered the man stand 
ing erect in the midst of a widely extended, silver 
colored blaze, bearing, as he described it, exactly 
the appearance of the wick of a burning candle in 
the midst of its own flame. The blacksmith seized 
him by the shoulder, and jerked him to the door, 
upon which the flame was instantly extinguished. 
There was no fire in the shop, neither was there any 
possibility of fire having been communicated to him 
from any external source. It was purely a case of 
spontaneous ignition. A general sloughing soon 
came on, and his flesh was consumed or removed 
in the dressing, leaving the bones and a few of the 
larger blood vessels standing. The blood, never 
theless, rallied around the heart, and maintained 
the vital spark until the thirteenth day, when he- 
died, not only the most noisome, ill-featured, and 
dreadful picture that was ever presented to human 
view, but his shrieks, his cries and lamentations, 
were enough to rend the heart of adamant. He 
complained of no pain of body his flesh was gone ; 
he said he was suffering the torments of hell ; that 
he was just upon its threshold, and should soon 



enter its dismal caverns ; and, in this frame of mind, 
gave up the ghost." 

For many years the process of constructing roads 
was very laborious, the main roads being first 
marked by blazing trees ; then the boughs were 
trimmed off, so that persons on horseback might 
ride through ; in time a winter road was made, and 
finally a wagon road built. The late Sheriff Sher 
wood says in his memoir : " I recollect when the 
King s highway was established from the Provincial 
line to Kingston ; the line was run by a surveyor 
named Ponair, with a surveyor under his direction 
by the name of Joseph Kilborne, The distance from 
the Provincial line to my father s farm three miles, 
below Brockville, was ninety-five miles ; and from 
Brockville to the fort, this side of Kingston, fifty 
miles. At the end of each mile was planted a red 
cedar post, marked on it the number of miles from 
the Province line. This line of road was made some 
years after the first settlement, but I have forgotten 
the year." 

The oldest cemetery in Brockville was in the 
front yard of the premises at present occupied by 
R. P, Cooke, Esq., at the east end of the town. In 
consequence of the wife of Col. Butler declaring that 
the place was haunted, the bodies were exhumed, 
and removed to another resting place. 

The following account, written in 1846, is preserved, 
of the arrival of Governor Simcoe in Upper Canada, 
in 1792. 

" But one house remains in Johnstown in its 
original proportions. It is built in the Dutch style, 
with sharp-pointed roof and curious gables. This 
house was framed of oak, and, considering that it 
had been drawn from lot to lot, until it had traveled 
almost the entire extent of the Johnstown Bay, 
within the last half century, it certainly is a remark 
able edifice. It is now a hostelrie, with the sign, 
Live, and let lirt St. John s Hall Peace and plenty 
to all mankind! In this house, Governor Simcoe 
held his first levee, on his arrival in Upper Canada. 
When the Governor cast his eye over the curving 
bay, he beheld the sparkling river and the dilapi 
dated old French fort, built during the French 
ascendancy. The house stood on a point of land 
formed by the bay and a small stream which passes 
from the north westward, called formerly by the 
French, Riviere tie la Viclle Calotte, which, being 
translated, means, Old Breeches Jfirer. 

"At the time the gentry of the Johnstown District 
collected, looking spruce, though weather-beaten, in 
their low-tasselled boots, their queer old broad- 
skirted military coats, and looped chapeaux, with 
faded feathers fluttering in the wind. On the de 
parture of the Governor, in a birch bark canoe, for 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



33 



Niagara, the capital of the Province, a salute was 
fired from an old cannon, obtained from the ruined 
French fort on Tsle Royal ; the loyal o.mpany re 
pairing to the inn, there to touch parting goblets 
1 for the success of the gwit old cause. " 

" Now I am content content, I say ; and can go 
home, to reflect on this proud day. Our Governor 
the man, of all others has come, at last. Mine 
eye hath seen it. Drink to him, gentlemen ; he will 
do the best for us," cried Colonel Tom Fraser, his 
face flushed and fiery, and his stout frame drawn 
up to its full height, at the head of the table. 

" We do ! we do ! vociferated young Kingsmill, 
emptying his glass, and stamping to express joy. 

" Bonhommie Tom Fraser then got on his legs, 
and shouted a young soldier s echo to the toast of 
his relative. 

" The mild and placid countenance of Dr. Solomon 
Jones was lighted up by the occasion, and he arose, 
and responded to the toast, recounting some of the 
services performed by the newly appointed Lieu- 
tenant-Governor in the late war. 

"Captain Elijah Bottum, a large, portly person, 
having at his side a formidable, basket-hiked clay 
more, then addressed them in brief, military phrase, 
and gave one of the old war slogans. 

" Major Jessup followed, in the same strain, and 
proposed a sentiment which was received with vocif 
erous cheers by the younger portion of the company. 

"Captain Dulmage, Captain Campbell, Paymaster 
Jones, Commissary Jones, Capttiin Gideon Adams, 
Lieutenant Samuel Adams, Ephraim Webster, Cap 
tain Markle, Captain Grant, and numerous other 
captains and officers, made themselves heard on the 
joyful occasion, until finally the meeting broke up." 



CHAPTER XL 

THK WAR OF 1812 INCIDENTS. 

ON the i8th day of June, 1812, the United States 
declared war against Great Britain, but for some 
time previous, the Americans had been collecting 
an army at Detroit, which, in the event of hostilities 
between the two countries, was to be thrown into 
Canada. 

The invasion took place on the i2th of July, 
General Hull being the commander : the crossing 
was made at Sandwich. The American urrr.v 
consisted of about 2,500 men, will; thirty-three 
cannon. Hull was a braggart, and had scarcely 
touched British soil, when he issued a flaming 
proclamation, directed to Canadians, in which pro 
mises of a most extraordinary character were held 
out to all who would accept the rule of the Republic. 



Advancing upon Amherstburg, he met with a severe 
check, and, after several skirmishes, in which he was 
badly beaten, he recrossed the river with his army, 
with the exception of a small force, left to garrison 
a temporary fort in Sandwich. 

Brock arrived at Amherstburg on the ijth of 
August, and, on the i5th, with a total force of 
regulars, militia, and Indians, amounting to 1,300 
men, crossed the river, and prepared to assault the 
town. The gallant action was prevented by the 
capitulation of the American army, including the 
troops in the vicinity, as well as the garrison. 

Thus ended the first attempt of the Republicans 
to plant the Stars and Stripes on Canadian soil. 

On the 1 3th of October, another army of invasion, 
under General Van Ranselaer, crossed the Niagara 
frontier, and encountered the Canadian forces, 
under General Brock, at Queenston Heights. After 
a desperate engagement, in which the noble com 
mander was killed, nearly one thousand of the 
invaders were compelled to surrender, while many 
were driven over the precipice into the seething 
waters of the Niagara. 

When war was declared, eight schooners were in 
Ogdensburg harbor, which, on the 291(1 of June, 
attempted to escape to Lake Ontario. Mr. Dunham 
Jones, who resided near Maitland, seeing the move 
ment, and fully appreciating the advantage which 
would result to the British interests, if this fleet 
could be prevented from reaching Lake Ontario, 
raised a company of volunteers, pursued them in 
boats, overtaking them at the foot of the islands, 
just above Brockville. Two of the vessels, the 
Tslctnti Packet and the Sophia, surrendered without 
resistance ; the crews were landed on an island, and 
the vessels burned. The remainder of the fleet 
steered back to Ogdensburg. The utmost conster 
nation prevailed in that town, the confusion being 
indescribable. All the settlements on Black Lake 
and along the St. Lawrence were deserted ; accord 
ing to Mr. Joseph Rosseel, of Ogdensburg, " people 
were everywhere running through the woods, in 
great dismay." 

In a few days, the Prince Regent, a new vessel of 
ten guns, came down from Kingston, and anchored 
at Prescott, being afterwards joined by the Earl of 
Mirira and Duke of Gloucester, the former of eighteen, 
and the latter of ten, guns. 

An American schooner, the Julia, arrived in Og 
densburg from the lake. Her armament consisted 
of one eighteen and two iron six-pounders. On the 
29111 of July, she started up the river, reaching 
Morristown, opposite Brockville, at 3 p. M., on the 
3ist, being closely pursued by the Earl of Moira 
and the Duke <>/ Gloucester. The British vessels 



34 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



dropped anchor near their antagonist, all brailed 
up their canvass, and commenced a cannonade, 
which lasted three hours and a quarter, without 
intermission. Owing to the nervousness of the 
gunners and the inexperience of the commanders, 
not a single life was lost, and but little injury 
done to the vessels. The Earl of Moira was 
hulled a few times, the Julia escaping with the 
effects from a single shot. As darkness approached, 
the gallant contestants came to the conclusion that 
repairs were necessary. The Julia weighed anchor 
and succeeded in reaching Ogdensburg the next 
morning. The Earl of Moira removed to Brockville, 
the guns being taken out and placed in a battery 
on the shore. 

In September, the Americans learned that a num 
ber of batteaux were coming up the river, laden 
with supplies, the party being under the command 
of Adjutant Fitzgibbon. A gun-boat, and also a 
Durham boat were fitted out at Ogdensburg, and 
despatched to intercept and capture the British 
expedition and stores. Leaving Ogdensburg late 
at night, the enemy landed on Toussaint Island, 
near where the batteaux lay. The only family on 
the island was secured, with the exception of the 
man, who, being a staunch defender of the British 
flag, made his escape, and, by swimming, reached 
the Canadian shore. The alarm was promptly 
given, the militia rallied, and, when the Yankees 
made the attack, they met with such a hot recep 
tion, that they abandoned the Durham boat, which 
drifted down the river, and fell into the hands of the 
Canadians. About sunrise, the gun-boat came to 
anchor, and was immediately fired upon. At the 
second discharge, five, of the eighteen on board, 
were wounded ; but, before a third volley could be 
delivered, the remainder brought a cannon to bear 
upon the Canadian boats, which were compelled to 
remove out of range, being provided only with small 
arms. The Americans then beat a hasty retreat for 
Ogdensburg. 

Towards the close of the season, a considerable 
force assembled at Prescott, and, on the 2nd of 
October, about forty British boats came up the 
river, to that place, escorted by two gun boats. A lively 
cannonade was set up by the battery at Prescott upon 
Ogdensburg, the object being to cover the boats. On 
the following day the firing was renewed, but was 
not answered by the Americans, little or no damage 
being done, in consequence of the short, range of 
the guns. On Sunday morning, the 4th, twenty- 
five boats and two gun boats left Prescott at an early 
hour, proceeded up the river nearly a mile, and then 
turned their course towards Ogdensburg. The ex 
pedition was under the command of Col. Lethbridge, 
the number of men being about 700. The advance 



was made without opposition to mid channel, when 
the enemy opened the enagement with a tremendous 
discharge of artillery, supplemented by small arms. 
General Brown, who was in command at Ogdens 
burg had rallied the force, numbering 1,200 men, 
and was fully prepared for the emergency. The 
boats were thrown into confusion, and were com 
pelled to beat a precipitate retreat. It is said that 
the enterprise was undertaken without the sanction 
of the commander of the forces, and was generally 
condemned as rash and premature. 

Col. John Kilborn, of Newboro, has furnished us 
with the following account of the affair : 

" I, with other young men, volunteered to serve in 
the First Flank Company of the County of Leeds, 
under Captain John Stuart, late Sheriff of the Johns 
town District, for six months service, and I happened 
to be the first man placed on duty by Lieutenant 
William Morris (late the Hon. William Morris), to 
guard the Kingston road, near the bridge at the 
West end of Brockville. I continued on duty with 
the company, being drilled daily by Lieutenant 
Morris, until September, when an attempt was made 
to capture Ogdensburg, it being at that time de 
fended by a strong fort and a considerable force of 
riflemen, by whom we were daily annoyed. The 
expedition was under Colonel Lethbridge, of the 
British army, at that time commanding our garrison 
at Prescott. Assistance from Brockville men was 
asked for, and with about forty others, I volunteered, 
and marched to Prescott during the night, under 
the command of Captain Reuben Sherwood and 
Lieutenant William Morris. Boats were ready, and 
early in the morning, led by Colonel Lethbridge, 
with part of a company of regulars, the attack was 
made. The boat I was in was commanded by 
Lieutenant Morris. After getting near the batteries 
(which they plied constantly), and in front of the 
town, we failed to effect a landing, and returned to 
Prescott. The loss in our boat was one killed, 
(Mott, a cousin of Henry Mott, Delta,) and eight 
wounded." 

On the 6th February, 1813, Captain Forsyth, the 
American commander at Ogdensburg, was induced 
by parties from this side of the line to make a 
descent upon Brockville, the report having been cir 
culated that the American prisoners confined in the 
gaol were being treated with severity. The raiding 
party consisted of Captain Forsyth s company and 
citizen volunteers, numbering, all told, about 200. 
They left Ogdensburg about nine o clock in the 
evening, proceeding by sleighs to the rear of Morris- 
town. They crossed the ice in two divisions, flank 
guards being despatched to each side of the town, 
while the main body stationed themselves in Court 
House Square. Forsyth, with a few men, entered 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 






35 



the gaol, demanded the keys, which were surren 
dered, and all the prisoners, except one charged 
with murder, liberated. A number of prominent 
citizens were taken prisoners and conveyed to 
Ogdensburg, with the exception of Dr. Hubbell, 
who was paroled at Morristown. Among the 
prisoners were Major Carley, three captains and two 
lieutenants. 

The following is the list of those taken, except 
officers : Stephen Shipman, David Wheeler, Charles 
French, Benjamin Gould, William Graves, Winthrop 
Tufts, Zea Castle, Ichabod Wing, George Allen, 
Henry Slants, Timothy Buell, Abram McCue, Thos. 
Daenham, Alex. Campbell, John Davis, Daniel Mc- 
Mullen, Richard McBane, Joseph Trader, Isaac C 
(name illegible), Uri Stone, Archibald Ladd, David 
Wheeler, John W. Easton, Peter Whitman, Joseph 
Howard, Levi Stone, Thos. Thornton, Isaac Mather, 
Samuel Elliott, Joseph Wooley, Jas. Smith, Horatio 
Bradshaw, Gamaliel Tuttle, John Green, Joseph 
Ryon, Norris Loverin, David Stephenson, Jehiel 
Smith, Thomas Rambley, William Robinson, Rich 
ardson Cameron, Henry Smith, Cleaveland Stafford, 
John Joy, John Whitlesy. 

The enemy took away one hundred and twenty 
muskets, twenty rifles, two casks of ammunition, and 
some other public stores. Private property was not 
molested. The excuse given for the expedition by 
American writers, was that the Canadian force, 
stationed at Brockville (though the place was then 
known as Elizabethtovvn), had frequently crossed 
the river, in the vicinity of Morristown, and appre 
hended deserters. 

A few hours after the arrival of the prisoners at 
Ogdensburg, two officers from Prescott visited the 
American headquarters, and secured their parole, 
with, we believe, the exception of Major Carley, 
who was subsequently exchanged. 

The midnight raid upon Brockville led to the 
inauguration of measures of a retaliatory character. 
On the arrival of the Governor at Prescott, Lieu 
tenant-Colonel Pearson suggested that an attack 
should be made upon Ogdensburg. It was finally 
arranged that the colonel should proceed to Kings 
ton, with the Governor, while Colonel McDonnell, 
of the Glengarry Fencibles, should make-a demon 
stration on the ice, the object being to ascertain the 
strength of the enemy. 

Early on the morning of the 22nd of February, 
Lieutenant-Colonel McDonnell marched the British 
force out upon the ice in two columns, but not with 
the intention of making an attack. One column 
directed its attention to a point where a breastwork 
had been thrown up below the Village of Ogdens- 
burg ; the other menaced the stone garrison at the 



upper portion of the village. The first and largest 
column, meeting with scarcely any resistance, 
marched directly into the village. Only a few shots 
were fired by the Yankees from the two cannon in 
that quarter, the enemy falling back across the 
Oswegatchie, and joining the force under Forsyth, 
the Commander-in-Chief. 

Duncan Fraser and Jonas Jones were at this 
juncture despatched by Colonel McDonnell, under 
a flag of truce, to the American headquarters, at the 
stone garrison, with a demand for an unconditional 
surrender. Forsyth s answer was, " Tell Colonel 
McDonnell there will be more fighting." The 
bearers of the reply had no sooner entered the 
ranks, than the battle commenced. After a sharp 
encounter, Forsyth was driven from his position, 
and his order given to retreat to Thuber s Tavern, 
near Black Lake. Fifty-two prisoners were taken 
by the British, and conveyed to Canada. The 
Americans lost five killed, and eighteen wounded. 
Most of the prisoners were paroled ; several were 
sent to Montreal, where they were for a time con 
fined, a few making their escape, and the balance 
being exchanged. 

The British held possession of the village during 
the day, securing a large amount of public stores 
and munitions of war. Before departing, the bar 
racks were burned, and an attempt made to destroy 
the bridge. 

The following are the British official accounts of 

the affair : 

KINGSTON, Feb. 23rd, 1813. 

GENERAL ORDERS. His Excellency, the Commander of the 
Forces, has the satisfaction of announcing to the army in British 
North America, the complete success of an attack, made by Lieu 
tenant-Colonel McDonnell, of the Glengarry Light Infantry, and 
the detachment stationed at Prescott, yesterday morning, on the 
enemy s position at Ogdensburg, which terminated in the capture of 
that place, and of eleven pieces of cannon, and all _the ordinance 
and marine stores, provisions, and camp equipage, and the destruc 
tion of two armed schooners, and two gun-boats. Such of the 
enemy s garrison as did not fly to the woods, were made prisoners. 
The conduct of every individual engaged, and which includes the 
whole of the troops, regular and militia, stationed at Prescott, appears 
to have been highly honorable to them. 

The following officers are particularly noticed by Colonel Mc 
Donnell as having distinguished themselves : Captain Jenkins, of 
the Glengarry Light Infantry, who, the Commander of the Forces 
laments to find, is severely wounded, as, also, Lieutenant Empy, of 
the Militia, who has lost a leg ; and Lieutenant Powell, of the King s 
Regiment, who led the Advance Guard ; and Lieutenant McAuly, 
of the Glengarry Light Infantry. Lieutenant-Colonel McDonnell 
reports that he was well supported by Captain Eustace, and the 
officers of the King s Regiment ; by Colonel Fraser and Lieutenant- 
Colonel Fraser, and all the officers of the Militia, as well as by 
Captain Le Lievre, of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, attached 
to the Militia. The field artillery was well served by Ensigns 
McKay, of the Glengarry Light Infantry, and Kerr, of the Militia ; 
and the good conduct of the Royal Engineers is likewise particularly 
noticed. 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GREXVILLE. 



The Commander of the Forces was induced to authorize this 
attack, not by any means as an act of wanton aggression, the troops 
under his command having been ordered at all times to abstain from 
all acts of that nature ; but as one of a just and necessary retaliation 
on that which was recently made on the British settlement of 
Brockville, by a party from Ogdensburg, and in consequence of 
frequent depredations from that garrison committed on the person 
and property of His Majesty s subjects within its reach ; and, in 
announcing its results, his Excellency feels much pleasure in 
publicly expressing his entire approbation of the gallantry and 
judgment with which it appears to have been conducted. 

His Excellency directs the officers and men taken prisoners on 
this occasion to be sent to Montreal, there to remain until further 
orders. A salute to be fired immediately. 

JOHN HARVEY, 
Lieutenant-Colonel and Deputy Adjutant-General. 



LIST OF KILLED AND WOUNDED, IN THE ATTACK VTON 
OGDENSBURG, 22x0 FEB., 1813. 

Royal Artillery. One rank and file killed. 

King s Regiment. One sergeant killed ; twelve rank and file 
wounded. 

Newfoundland Regiment. One rank and file killed, and four 
rank and file wounded. 

Glengarry Light Infantry. Two rank and file killed ; one lieu 
tenant-colonel, one captain, one lieutenant, two sergeants, seven 
rank and file, wounded. 

Militia. Two rank and file killed ; one captain, eight subalterns, 
one sergeant, fifteen rank and file, wounded. 

NAMES OF OFFICERS WOUNDED. 

Glengarry Light Infantry. Lieutenant-Colonel McDonnell Cap 
tain Jenkins, severely ; Lieutenant McKay. 

Militia. Captain J. McDonnell, Lieutenant Empy, severely ; 
Lieutenant McLean and Lieutenant McDermott. 

J. ROWEN, 
Deputy Assistant Adjutant-General. 

During the Summer of 1813, an American army 
under Wilkinson was assembled at Sackett s Har 
bour, while General Hampton, with a large force 
under his command, waited at Chateauguay, pre 
pared to march upon Montreal, in conjunction with 
Wilkinson, who was to descend the St. Lawrence to 
that point. Owing to delays, and the difficulty met 
with in securing transports, Wilkinson s army was 
not prepared for offensive action until November, 
1813. The force was first landed on Grenadier 
Island, with the view of capturing Kingston, but 
finding that place guarded by a strong British fleet, 
the American commander, on the 51)1 of September, 
suddenly embarked his troops, and sailed down the 
river. The transports consisted of three hundred 
small sailing vessels and boats, carrying about 8,000 
men. The British force at Prescott was under ,hc 
command of Lieutenant Colonel Pearson, who had 
taken the precaution to despatch Lieutenant Duncan 
Clark to Cole s Ferry t<> observe the vessels navi 
gating the river, and promptly report the first ap 
pearance of the enemy. At an early hour in the 
forenoon, an advance guard of vessels hove in sight. 



Lieutenant Clark promptly took possession of a 
farmer s horse, and in a few minutes rode into 
Brockville on his foam-covered steed, and announced 
"the enemy are at hand." With only a moment s 
pause he dashed away for Prescott with the report 
for his commanding officer. Ere night the American 
army reached Morristown, where it disembarked 
and passed the night. Brockville and Prescott were 
thronged with sturdy yeomanry and loyal citizens, 
ready to resist and harrass the enemy. At the latter 
place a battery commanding the river was planted, 
and every precaution taken to prevent Wilkinson 
from descending the rapids. To escape the fire from 
Prescott. Wilkinson landed his men at a point about 
three miles above Ogdensburg, marched them 
around that village, and reached the stream at a 
safe point below. During the night the boats were 
taken down by a few boatmen, who crept along the 
American shore. Next morning the troops were re- 
embarked, and the Galops Rapids passed, a halt 
being made at Point Iroquois. There, the invaders 
met with a reception at the hands of a dozen 
Canadians, under the command of Jacob and Peter 
Brouse, and a hundred militiamen, who poured in a 
volley, by command of their Captain, Monroe. 

Wilkinson commanded his force to land, and 
Monroe and his little band were compelled to re 
treat. Part of the American force proceeded about 
a mile below Iroquois, the flotilla anchoring in the 
bay opposite. Remaining at this point for several 
days, the dilatory commander gave the necessary 
orders, and the boats passed down the Rapid du 
Plat, halting there to obtain pilots, and making the 
necessary arrangements for descending the danger 
ous rapids. At this point he was reinforced by 
General Brown s brigade, which advanced by land 
to disperse the British troops and protect the 
brigade of boats. The intention was to seize Corn 
wall, and thus secure the Government stores at that 
place. At Hoople s Creek, Brown encountered the 
Glengarry militia, under Major Dennis, but that 
officer did not dare risk an engagement. The Amer 
icans under Brown advanced to Cornwall, the boats 
also running the Sault. 

Croil, the historian of Dundas, gives the following 
account <-f the battle of Crysler s Farm : " When it 
was ascertained that Wilkinson had descended the 
St. Lawrence, Lieutenant Colonel Morrison, of the 
Kqlh Regiment, lost no time in setting out in pur 
suit of the enemy, who had so dexterously given 
him the slip at Kingston, and hastily embarked the 
small body of troops that could be spared at that 
important point, on board the several ships of war 
and a flotilla of gun-boats. These were necessarily 
slower in motion, and less easily managed in the in- 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



37 









tricate channel of the river, than the light boats 
and batteaux of his opponent Wilkinson, and it was 
not until the evening of the eighth that the squa 
dron reached Prescott. The troops were immedi 
ately transferred to smaller crafts, and being rein 
forced by detachments of the Canadian Fencibles 
and Voltigeur Corps, under Lieutenant Colonel 
Pearson, and accompanied by the gun boats, under 
Captain Mulcaster, amounting in all to 850 men. 
left Prescott at sundown on the 9th instant, in pur 
suit of the enemy. They landed at Saver s, in 
Matilda, and halted there for the night, where intel 
ligence reached them that the enemy had halted a 
short distaace down the river. Early next morning 
Morrison marched to Point Iroquois, from whence 
the American army, nearly two miles distant, was 
distinctly visible. He continued to advance until 
he came within half a mile of his adversary, and, 
having ascertained his numbers and position, de 
cided that he would not there hazard an engage 
ment, and returned to Point Iroqnois. No sooner 
had he done so,, than the Americans took to 
their boats, and were off again. Morrison likewise 
embarked, and cautiously followed, well aware that 
Wilkinson must land again ere he ran the rapids of 
the Long Sault, and he hoped to meet him on more 
favorable ground than that which they had aban 
doned. In the evening, having learned that the 
Americans were landing at Cook s, Morrison 
dropped down to Munroe s Bay, and there landed 
his troops, at a distance of about two miles from 
the enemy. That very evening, the British piquet 
was approached, but the assailants were quickly 
driven back. Crysler s house was made the head 
quarters of the gallant little army, and a council of 
war decided to give the enemy battle. 

All that Morrison asked for his troops was a fair 
field and no favor ; he felt perfectly confident that 
their raw recruits must eventually yield to the 
steady and resolute charge of the British bayones. 
In the open fields of the old Crysler farm, he saw at 
a glance, just such a battle-ground as he desired. 
If he could only entice the Americans to meet him 
there, he had no fears for the result. 

Early on the morning of the nth of November, 
1813, Wilkinson was preparing to take his depar 
ture for Montrerl, but Morrison was determined 
that he should not do so, until he had first paid for 
his night s lodging, and a vigorous and galling fire 
from the gun-boats was the significant intimation 
to that effect. 

Shortly after daybreak, the British troops were 
formed on the nine-mile road leading to the woods, 
their right resting on the King s road, under the 
command of Lieutenant-Colonel Pearson, consisting 



of a skeleton of the Forty-ninth Regiment, under 
Captain Nairn ; a company of Canadian Fencibles, 
under Lieutenant De Lorimer, and a part of a troop 
of Provincial Dragoons, under Captain R. D. Fraser, 
with the Companies of the Voltigeurs, extended a 
little in advance, under Major Herriott. The left 
wing was commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Mor 
rison, consisting of the Eighty-ninth Regiment of 
the line and a party of Militia under Lieutenant 
Samuel Adams, with about thirty Indian warriors, 
posted along the skirts of the woods, under Lieu 
tenant Anderson. 

The American army was quickly drawn up in line 
of battle on Cook s farm, distant one mile and a 
quarter, the command being given to General Boyd 
Wilkinson, through intemperance, being confined 
to his barge. With the view of bringing the Amer 
icans to the ground he had selected, Morrison, 
about noon, detatched a small force to proceed 
within range, and open fire upon the enemy. They 
were met by a similar party of Americans, before 
whom they retired, their pursuers following them 
up to within a few yards of the nine-mile road, 
where the main body was concealed by the fence. 
The first intimation they had of their presence was 
a well-directed volley of musketry. They immedi 
ately took to their heels, leaving, however, three or 
four of their party dead on the field. A strong body 
of the enemy s cavalry made a rapid advance, and 
gallantly dashed up the side of the ravine, but met 
with such a warm reception, that they were forced 
to retire. A strong reinforcement of infantry com 
ing up to their support, they rallied, and made 
another desperate charge. This time they suc 
ceeded in gaining the level ground, where a 
sanguinary contest was maintained, till the British 
drove them, at the point of the bayonet, once more 
into the ravine, but not until Captain Nairn and 
Ensign Clause, of the Forty-ninth, and Lieutenant 
De Lorimer, of the Canadian Fencibles, were 
killed. 

About the same time, the enemy s column s, 
under General Covington, were advancing on the 
right and centre of the British line, in double quick 
time, with a view of turning their flank. Colonel 
Morrison, observing this, formed the Eighty-ninth 
in echelon. The enemy then gave a cheer, and com 
menced a determined and very destructive fire, 
which the British returned with deadly effect. This 
checked his advance, and, at the same time, a con 
siderable number of the enemy were captured by 
the Militia, under Lieutenant Adams. They were 
also thrown into some confusion by the fall of 
General Covington, who was at this time mortally 
wounded, A sh,:ll fired immediatly after, from one 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



of the gun-boats, added to the confusion, and 
caused a wavering in the ranks. Morrison 
now closed his columns with the enemy, and, 
together with the troops under Colonel Pearson, 
kept up such a destructive fire, that the enemy was 
driven from his position, and compelled to retire 
from the field, with the loss of one gun, two hun 
dred prisoners, most of his cavalry horses, and a 
stand of colors, which was found chained to a 
stump. "This," remarked a corporal of the Forty- 
ninth, " is liberty chained to a stump." 

The battle raged until half-past four in the after 
noon, and was contested with the greatest bravery 
by both parties. No pursuit was ordered, as J.he 
officer in command was aware that the American 
reserve would be encountered. After much delav, 
the Americans, with the entire flotilla, moved down 
the" river to Barnhart s Island. At that point, 
Wilkinson received the news that Hampton would 
not be able to join him in the attack upon Montreal, 
having been compelled to retreat to Lake Cham- 
plain by General De Salaberry. A council of war 
decided that the expedition should consequently 
be abandoned, and the force retreated to Salmon 
River. 

Thus ended, in ignominious failure, another 
attempt to annex Canada to the great Republic. 

INCIDENTS. 

Among the incidents of the battle, the following 
have been preserved : 

"Samuel Adams, of Edwardsburg, who, with his 
father, acted as a bearer of despatches from 
Montreal to Kingston, was, on the day of the 
battle at Crysler s in the neighborhood, and re 
solved to tarry and see the fun. Having no 
particular duty assigned to him by the officer in 
command, he resolved to have a foray on his flvn 
hook. Accordingly, in the morning, he left the 
British lines, and, making a detour through the 
Second Concession, came out to the river at Raney s 
farm, in the rear of the American army. Just as he 
reached the King s Road, which, at that time, fol 
lowed the margin of the river, a troop of the enemy s 
cavalry, that had been quartered at Louck s inn, 
dashed up at full speed. Resistance and flight 
being alike out of the question, he threw himself 
down behind an old log, which barely served to 
conceal him from the horsemen, who, in their hurry, 
passed within a few feet without observing him. 
He had not time to congratulate himself upon his 
narrow escape, before the noise of accoutrements 
warned him of the approach of a party on foot, 
and caused him to repent the rashness of his 
adventure. He kept to his lair closely, until he 



should ascertain their numbers, and soon discovered 
that his alarm was caused by a brace of American 
officers, in dashing uniforms, who were leisurely 
sauntering up the road, their swords dangling on the 
ground, and a pair of pistols in each of their belts. 
Adams felt quite relieved, that the odds were only 
two to one, and at once made up his mind to bag 
both of them. Leaving his ambuscade, he planted 
himself in front of them, and, levelling his musket, 
with an air of determination, summoned them to 
surrender their arms, or their lives. To his surprise, 
they surrendered at discretion, and, arming himself 
with their pistols, for his musket was unloaded, he 
marched them back to the woods, and reached 
headquarters, by the same route he had left, with 
his prize, in time to take part with the militia in 
the battle." 

Mr. Richard Holmes, of Kitley, relates the fol 
lowing: When war was declared in 1812, among the 
volunteers who were ordered to report at Brock- 
ville, was one Andrew Fuller, who, finding that he 
was to be away from home for some time, resolved 
to repair thither. He called upon his sergeant, 
McSween, and asked permission, but was told that 
"it was against orders." Fuller, whose ideas of 
military discipline were somewhat crude, declared 
that "he would go." As he attempted to depart, 
McSween ordered him to halt. Fuller laughed, 
but did not obey the command. McSween seized 
his musket and fired, killing the unfortunate man 
almost instantly. At the time of Forsyth s capture 
of Brockville, McSween was confined in the gaol, 
and was the only prisoner not liberated by the 
Americans. McSween was subsequently tried for 
the murder of Fuller, convicted, and sentenced to 
be hanged, but was after a time released. 

During the war, Captain Forsyth made a descent 
upon Gananoque, which, at that time, consisted of 
a few houses, besides the residences of Col, Stone 
Captain Braddish, and Seth Downs ; also one small 
log-house, on the east side of the river. Colonel 
Stone was particularly obnoxious to the Americans 
being a prominent United Empire Loyalist, and a 
staunch defender of British interests. The Ameri 
cans landed at Sheriff s (now Lindsay s) Point, 
marched down to the village, and took peaceable 
possession. They surrounded the residence of 
Colonel Stone, but failed to find him. Hearing 
some person moving upstairs, one of the soldiers 
fired in that direction. The ball took effect in the 
hip of Mrs. Stone, making a severe, but not 
dangerous, wound. Imagining that they had 
killed the Colonel, they immediately departed. 
Forsyth, in his report to the American author 
ities, gives a glowing account of the capture 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



39 



of Gananoque, and the destruction of the Govern 
ment stores at that place. Mr. Hiel Sliter, of the 
Rear of Leeds, informs us that the stores consisted 
of half an <>.v, and sonic old blankets and bid ticks, </// 
of which U ere burned by the valiant Yankees. At the 
time of the raid, Mrs. Stone had in her possession a 
considerable sum in gold. This was thrown into a 
barrel of soap, and thus saved from the enemy. 

During the war, Charles McDonald, Esq., built 
the block house at Gananoque, and also the one on 
Chimney Island, near the mouth of Yonge Mill s 
creek. Rifle Pits were also constructed on the 
Canadian shore near LaRue s Mills, and for some 
time a company was stationed at that place to guard 
the frontier. The officers at one time took posses 
sion of the mill, and compelled the owner to grind 
wheat exclusively for the army. To accommodate 
the settlers, LaRue ran the mill nights and Sundavs 
to supply the wants of the general public. 

During the war the transport service gave rise to 
several skirmishes, in which the militia of Leeds 
and Grenville took important parts. 

On the morning of the i6th September, 1812, an 
attack was made by 500 American militia upon a 
brigade of batteaux, a short distance from Point 
Iroquois. The militia promptly rallied to the sup 
port of Major Heathecote, who had charge of the 
escort, the escort from Dundas being under the com 
mand of Colonel Allen McDonnell, Captain Ault 
and Captain Shaver. Two companies of the Gren 
ville militia, under Captains Monroe and Dulmage, 
arrived the same diy, bringing with them a nine- 
pounder, taken from the French at Chimney Island 
in 1760. This one-gun battery, under the direction 
of Lieutenant R. D. Fraser, compelled the Americans 
to evacuate the island on which they were posted, 
and hastily depart for the south side of the river. 
The Canadian loss was one killed and several 
wounded. 

In October, 1813, a brigade of boats reached the 
head of the Rapid du Plat, and halted for the night. 
The Americans crossed the river, captured the 
flotilla, and conveyed it to their own side. The sur- 

, 

prise was so complete that no resistance was offered. 

In November of the same year, a brigade consist 
ing of 36 boats, having on board valuable supplies 
for the troops in Upper Canada, arrived at the foot 
of the Rapid du Plat, and laid up for the night. 

The next morning the enemy was discovered in 
force upon Ogden s Island. Captain Alexander Mc- 
Millen, of Edwardsburg, being in command, ordered 
the boats to be towed up the rapids, while Lieu 
tenant-Colonel Pearson, the commander at Prescott, 
despatched Captain Skinner, with orders that part 
of the cargo should be landed and conveyed by 



wagons to Prescott ; the remainder of the baggage 
to return to Cornwall. When the loaded wagons had 
been removed to a place of safety, the report was re 
ceived that the Americans, 500 strong, had landed, 
and were about to make an attack. The night came 
on dark, while the roads were in a frightful condition ; 
but the order was given to advance, and the troops 
proceeded in the direction of Mariatown. When in 
the vicinity of Doran s, the enemy was discovered. 
An ambush was formed, and a deadly fire poured in 
upon the foe, who retreated, leaving eleven killed 
and several wounded upon the field. Discovering 
that Canadian patriotism was more than a match 
for Yankee bravado, they took to their boats and 
beat a hasty retreat for home. 

On the iSth February, 1814, Lieutenant Colonel 
Pearson despatched from Prescott a force of almost 
500 regulars, with orders to proceed to Salmon 
River and Malone, the object being to harass the 
remnant of Wilkinson s army, which had been 
ordered to retire to Sackett s Harbor and Platts- 
burg. The sleighs for conveying the troops were 
assembled at Edwardsburg, the cavalcade setting 
off on the morning of the iQth, and reaching Salmon 
River the same evening. At that place they de 
stroyed the enemy s stores, the barracks, and a large 
number of boats. Proceeding to Malone, they seized 
an immense quantity of provisions and whiskey, 
with which all the sleighs were loaded, when the 
order was given to start for Canada. The cavalcade 
swept through the territory of the enemy un 
molested, and all arrived safely at Cornwall, where 
the proceeds of the raid were deposited in the Gov 
ernment store house. One of the teamsters had for 
loud a hogshead of whiskey. The soldiers ran up 
behind the sleigh, bored a hole with a bayonet, and 
secured in jugs the coveted fluid. When the old 
man in charge reached his journey s end, he had 
simply an empty cask. 

During the winter, teamsters were hired by the 
Americans to convey flour for the troops from 
Sackett s Harbour to French Mills. In the latter 
part of January they left 300 barrels at Hopkinton, 
and proceeded to French Mills, to aid in removing 
supplies to Plattsburg. About 30 teams stopped at 
Chateaugay for the night, and while the teamsters 
were amusing themselves in singing and drinking, 
to pass the night, Major Sherwood and twenty-eight 
British soldiers arrived, and took the entire party 
prisoners. The victors secured a large quantity of 
military stores, which were placed in sleighs and 
carried to Canada. 

In the summer of 1814, Captain Thomas Fraser 
crossed the St. Lawrence, in the neighborhood of 
Morristown, proceeded to Rossie, obtained a pledge 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



from the proprietors of the iron furnace, then 
building at that place, that no munitions of war 
should be cast there, and returned with his com 
mand to the Canadian side. A plan was formed to 
attack the party, when passing down the river to 
Black Lake, but, from fear of exciting retaliation, 
it was not carried out. 

Major Lemon, of Maitland, relates the following : 
In 1811, a young man named Underbill came from 
the United States, and secured a situation as school 
teacher, at Halleck s school house, above Brockville. 
It was soon ascertained that Underbill was a de 
serter from the United States army. A Canadian 
named Montgomery, who owned a small schooner, 
lent it to a kidnapping party of Americans, who 
were anxious to arrest the deserter. One day the 
vessel dropped down the river, until opposite Ful- 
ford s, the party proceeding through the woods to 
the school house, where they seized Underbill. The 
prisoner was gagged, and dragged away in the 
direction of the river. Underbill, seizing a good 
opportunity, broke away from his captors, and ran 
for the settlement. He was immediately shot dead, 
and left in the woods. By this time, the children 
had given the alarm, and the Canadians started in 
pursuit of the murderers, but were, unfortunately, 
too late, the Americans making their escape in the 
schooner. The event created great excitement at 
the time, and contributed in no small degree to the 
bitter feeling which subsequently existed along the 
frontier. 

Among the most active of the Loyalists during the 
war, were the Grant brothers. One of them, Lieu 
tenant Grant, and Captain Reuben Sherwood, were 
employed along the frontier in the Secret Service. 
On one occasion, Grant and Sherwood were up 
among the Thousand Islands prospecting, having 
with them a force of nine men, when they ascer 
tained that the Americans were building a block 
house at Gravelly Point. Leaving their men on an 
island, they proceeded in a small boat, and landed 
a short distance below the point, in the woods. 
Sherwood proposed to Grant, that they should take 
the entire party prisoners. Proceeding through 
the woods, they came suddenly upon the militiamen 
who, with muskets lying on the ground, were pre 
paring the timber for the block house. The 
Americans were astonished at the appearance of 
tu-o British officers in full uniform. Sherwood, in a 
loud voice, called out, " what are you doing here," 
and in the same breath demanded to be shown to 
headquarters. Turning at the same time to Grant, 
he said, " consider these men prisoners, and if one 
of them attempts to pick up a musket, give the 
signal to the Indians, but don t do so unless abso 



lutely necessary." Sherwood then proceeded to the 
Major s headquarters, near at hand, and demanded 
his sword, which was promptly surrendered, that 
officer laboring under the belief that he was sur 
rounded by a band of Indians, who only waited for 
a signal to rush upon and scalp every Yankee. 
Sherwood then proceeded to parole the men one by 
one, for the remainder of the war, despatching them 
by a circuitous route for their homes. The Major 
was marched down to the boat, where great was his 
surprise to find that he had been outwitted by 
shrewd Canadians, and that only two officers were 
necessary to capture a score of armed Americans. 
He was taken to Prescott, where he was afterwards 
exchanged for Colonel Carley, who had been taken 
prisoner in their midnight raid upon Brockville. 

From the declaration of war, until the close of 
hostilities, the Americans were forced to suffer the 
most humiliating and mortifying defeats and re 
verses. The British regulars and Canadian militia 
formed a solid phalanx, which invariably hurled 
back the invaders, though, in some instances, their 
numbers were considered overpowering. Along the 
frontier, the tide of battle turned against the foe, 
who at first looked upon the conquest of the country 
as a foregone conclusion. A poor and sparsely 
settled province proved more than a match for the 
boasted Republic, and well may our citizens be 
proud of forefathers 

Who scorned to bend a knee " 
to the flag of hostile democracy. 



CHAPTER XII. 

VETERAN S OF 1812-15. 

SUMMERS came and winters departed ; the middle- 
aged dropped, one by one, into the grave ; the boys 
and young men found their heads whitened by de 
cades of toil and trouble ; political parties wrangled 
for the seats of office ; demagogues and patriots 
contended for popular favor ; parliaments assembled 
with glittering promises, and sank amid execrations 
into oblivion : yet, among the long list of petitions 
and pledges, there was not one which read, " Do 
honor to the heroes and veterans of 1812 : Mindful 
>nly of the present, the hardy sires who saved 

n anada were permitted to recline in the ingle nook, 
and only, on some wintry night, recount to youth 
and maiden, the story of the struggle of long ago. 
In its infancy, Canada was assailed by a powerful 
neighbor, bent on victory. On lake, on river, and 

m land, the arm of conquest was thrust out, ready 
to seize in its relentless grasp the broad and fertile 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



acres, which, in time, were destined to become the 
foundation of a new and great British nation in the 
western hemisphere. When the tocsin sounded to 
arms, in 1812, Canadians from the skirts of the 
forest nobly responded. Theirs was not a struggle 
for glory and honors, for crosses and medals, for 
decorations and titles. They knew naught, and 
cared less for the baubles of office. Eight millions 
assailed a paltry two hundred thousand, only to be 
beaten back, again and again. Forty to one was a 
fearful odds, yet the Veterans of iSi2 did not shrink 
from the contest : they were fi 

home. Many of those who took up arms bore 
marks of the iron heel of the Revolution in 1776, 
and their bravery challenges our enthusiasm, the 
closer it is scanned, and the better it is understood. 
Called upon to defend a frontier of 1,700 miles in 
length, menaced at many vulnerable points, they 
laid down the settler s axe for the musket, deter 
mined to " do or die." From Detroit to La Colle 
Mill, at Queenston and Crysler s Farm, in midnight 
foray, in shades of dark forests, upon the open 
plain, when the bugle sounded, they stood, shoulder 
to shoulder, with a heroism worthy of the cause, so 
nobly defended. Thus were planted the seeds of a 
nationality destined to span from the Atlantic to 
the Pacific, building up in the north the brightest 
colonial gem in the British Crown. 

To Senator Brouse, then a member of the House 
of Commons, is due the honor of securing a recog 
nition of the claims of the veterans, who became 
the recipients, from the Government, of $50,000. 
The sum was a paltry one when distributed among 
the survivors, whose longevity was testified to by 
the number of applications. In many instances, 
the grant was appreciated, not for the few 
dollars given, but for putting on record the 
services they had rendered their country. Out of 
the 3,024 applications, 2,554 proved that they were 
veteran soldiers of 1812-15, ar "d even this list has 
been materially increased by new applications. 

No exact data have been found to establish cor 
rectly the number of Militiamen under arms in 
Upper Canada, in 1812-15, but it was stated, in an 
address to the Prince Regent, that the population 
able to bear arms did not exceed 10,000 men. The 
strength of the Militia on actual service appears to 
have been as follows : 550 cavalry, 350 artillery. 5s 
artificers, and 4,500 infantry. 

STATEMENT, SHOWING THE X..MF.S OK Ai.i. VETERANS 
WHO HAVE PROVED THEIR RIGHTS TO PARTAKE 
IN THE GRANT OF $50,000, VOTED BY PARLIA 
MENT IN FAVOR OF THE MILITIAMEN OF 1812-15 ! 
LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 
- Ira Lewis, Addison. 

Peter Beaupre, Brockville. 



Joseph McXish, Brockville. 

John McEathron, Brockville. 

Enos Beach, Brockville. 

Henry Clow, Brockville. 

James Hunter, Brockville. 

James Rorison, Brockville. 

Amos Wright, Brockville. 

James Campbell, Brockville. 

Curtis Mead, Brockville. Services not proven. 

Daniel Shipman, Grenbush. 

Matthew Howard, Lyn. 

.ilien M ltt. Lyn. 
William McLean, Lyn. 
Aaron Pennock, Lyn. 
George Purvis, Lyn. 
David Whitmarsh, Lyn. 
John C. Hayes, Lyn. 
Ephraim Earl, Algonquin. 
John Wright. Algonquin. No return. 
Chancey Bishop, Bishop s Mills. 
Ailam Curtis, Brouseville. 
Tewsan Letheroot, Brouseville. 
Luke DePencier, Burritt s Rapids. 
Timothy Hodge, Charleville. 
James D. Mcllmoye, Edwardsburg. 
James Adams, Kemptville. No return. 
Elijah Shaver, Kemptville. 

Delver Hemenery, Kemptville. Services not 
proven. 

Charles Tallman, Kilmarnock. 
Dunham Jones, Maitland. 
James McCrae, Maitland. 
Thomas McPearson, Merrickville. 
Robert Nicholson, Merrickville. 
Charles Rose, Merrickville. 
John Vaughn, Merrickville. 
William Lanclon, North Augusta. 
David Seeley, North Augusta. 
John Twinning, Prescott. 
Henry Mosher, Prescott. 
Antoine Marceau, Prescott. 
Jacob Coons, Prescott. 
Elijah B. Smades, Prescott. 
Jacob Walter, Prescott. 
Comfort Whitney, Prescott. 
Ira Sellick, Prescott. 
John Forrister, Shanley. 
Elijah Pelton, South Guwrr. 
James Smith, South Gower. 
Joseph Cook, Spencerville. 
George Keeler, Spencerville. 
Stephen King, Spencerville. 
John Lawrence, Spencerville. 

David Roblins Cain, Caintown. 

Samuel Miller, Caintown. 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



Arvin Stoddard, Chantry. 
John Johnston, Delta. 
William Wiltse, Delta. 
Amos Wood, Delta. 
William Brown, Elgin. No return. 
Ebenezer Halladay, Elgin. 
Ira Mitchell, Elgin. 
David Stevens, Elgin. 
William Moore, Elgin. 
Abraham Elliot, Escott. 
James Thomas, Escott. 
Joseph Derbyshire, Farmersvillc. 
Joel Parish, Farmersville. 

Henry Humphrey, Frankville. Services not proven. 
John G. Lloyd, Gananoque. 
Nicholas Roseback, Gananoque. No return 
Harry Chipman, Harlem. 
John Griffin, Lansdowne. 
Benjamin Chase, Lyndhurst. 
William Gilfillan, Lyndhurst. 
William F. Bush, Newboro. 
John Kilborn, Newboro. 

Horace F. Sheldon, Portland. 
Thompson Brown, Phillipsville. 
Alvin T. Halladay, Phillipsville. 
Boswell Edgley, Rock-port. 
Peter McCue, Rock-port. 
Smith Seamen, Rockport. 
William Wright, Rockport. 
John Stoliker, South Lake. 
Hiel Sliter, Sweet s Corners. 
David Sliter, Warburton. 
Robert T. Rorison, Westport. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

THE RISE OF RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT, AND THE 
REBELLION OF 1837. 

AT an early date after the war of 1812, the two 
antagonistic principles personal and popular Gov 
ernment came into collision, terminating in a 
victory for the latter. A review of the struggle 
belongs to the domain of general history, but, to 
understand subsequent events, it is necessary to 
take up the thread, as told in the lives of the great 
men of that eventful period. The foundation-stone 
of Canadian greatness is Responsible Government, 
to secure which, the Rebellion of 1837 was but an 
incident, bringing, in its train of evils, results preg 
nant with blessings to all classes of citizens. The 
victory was won with difficulty, the strife was 
bitter, and the contest full of passion and fanaticism. 
Yet, to the careful student, the lesson conveyed is 
one of profound instruction. An analysis of the 



motives that held sway, discloses the fact that the 
colonial policy of England was, for many years, 
governed by no set principles, and in no wise cal 
culated to favor the enjoyment of constitutional 
liberty. The rebellion of the American Colonies, 
in 1776, failed to impress the authorities of 
Downing Street with the knowledge that the Anglo- 
Saxons are by nature fitted for self-government, 
and will not long brook arbitrary measures. A 
recognition of this all-important fact would have 
saved Canada from years of confusion and the 
stain of a rebellion. The object of the constitu 
tional party was excellent, though individuals, from 
feelings of jealousy and disappointment, were, in 
the end, driven to adopt a course, not only suicidal 
to themselves, but to the common country. Theirs 
was a laudable desire to develop and improve the 
country to take power from the hands of the few, 
and place it in the franchise of the many to destroy 
the rigid circle of exclusiveness which hedged in 
the representative of Imperial power, and build up 
a constitution in unison with the spirit of the age. 
In Upper Canada, the Crown and Clergy Reserves 
interfered with the settlement, and cast many 
additional burdens upon the struggling pioneers. 
Remonstrances, which were presented to the Gov 
ernor, received the most contemptuous treatment, 
aggravating the discontent and increasing the 
popular desire for rights held inalienable by 
citizens of the mother country, but withheld from 
the colonists. 

The appearance of Gourlay, about 1817, was the 
signal for an united effort, in the end, destined to 
overthrow the "Family Compact," which, for so 
many years, held the administration of public affairs 
in the hollow of its hand. Gourlay could not be 
silenced his brain was full of schemes, which led 
to discussion and the fostering of a public spirit. 
He addressed inquiries to the various municipalities 
respecting the ccvt lii oads, number of 

population, and g : the people, which 

led Sir Peregrine MaitlauJ to aJopt severe measures 
to crush the spirit of inquiry. Meetings were held, 
and delegates appointed to draft an address and 
send a commission to England, for the purpose of 
laying the condition of Upper Canada before His 
Royal Highness the Prince Regent. Gourlay was 
eccentric, but animated by a desire to advance the 
best interests of the Province, and paid the penalty 
for his patriotism by being persecuted in a variety 
of ways, Even the meetings of delegates were 
prohibited, and parties who attended denounced 
as traitors. 

Neither Gourlay nor William Lyon Mackenzie 
appear to have conceived the idea of Responsible 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AXD GRENVILLE. 



43 



Government. They were of the opinion that, by 
making the Legislative Council elective, the exist 
ing evils would be destroyed. It remained for 
Baldwin to propose the constitutional measure by 
which the country was tided over the quicksands 
of danger, and our institutions placed upon a 
permanent foundation. 

GOURLAY S MEETINGS. 

The following is a short account of the meetings 
held in the Johnstown District : 

In South Crosby, on the 6th of June, 1818, at the 
school house ; Joseph Merriman in the Chair. 
Chapman Pennock was appointed Representative, 
and Nathan Ketchum, Clerk. Committee : Joseph 
Merriman, Henry Halladay, Aaron Pennock. 

In Kitley, June 22nd, 1818, at the school house 
of William Tallman. Benjamin Lyman, J. P., was 
appointed Chairman ; Captain Duncan Livingston 
was chosen Representative, and T. S. Root, Clerk. 
Committee : Benjamin Lyman, Timothy Soper, 
William W. Brown, John Arnold. 

In Bastard, June 23rd, 1818, at the house of E. 
Ryerson Chamberlain. Barnabas Chipman was 
chosen Chairman ; Dr. George Breakenridge, Repre 
sentative ; and Silas Smith, Clerk. Committee: 
William Stevens, Daniel Terrie, Sheldon Nichols, 
Judson Stoddard. 

In Lansdowne, June 23rd, 1818, at the house of 
Mrs. Lee. Nathan Hicock was chosen Chairman 
and also Representative ; Oliver Eaton, Clerk. 
Committee:. William Parish, John Struthers, Allan 
Sweet, Isaac Soper. 

In Yonge, June 24th, 1818, at the houses of John 
Dickson and Stephen Andrews ; Captain Joseph 
Wiltse and William Thompson in the Chair. 
Benoni Wiltse was chosen Representative, and 
Andrew Teed, Clerk. Committee : John Dickson, 
Squire Mott, Daniel Phillips, William Thompson, 
Walter Adams, Thomas P. Kenyon. 

In Elizabethtown, June 26th, 1818, at the house 
of Mr. Dayton. Thomas Smith, J. P., occupied the 
Chair, and was also chosen Representative ; John 
Kilborn, Clerk. Committee: Truelove Butler, Vin 
cent Booth, Edward Howard, John Ketchum, Abra 
ham Dayton, J. P. 

A general meeting was held at the house of 
Abraham Dayton, Elizabethtown, on the 26th of 
June, 1818. 

Representatives present: 

Duncan Levingston, Kitley. 

Dr. George Breakenridge, Bastard. 

Nathan Hicock, Yonge. 

Chapman Pennock, Crosby. 

John Hicock was chosen Representative to proceed 



to York (Toronto) : John Kilborn, Secretary ; and 
John Smith, Treasurer. 

Committee : Abraham Dayton, Thomas Smith, 
Edward Howard, John Kilborn. 

The grounds for complaint were ample and 
various. In 1825, the vote for reporting the debates 
was dishonored by the Governor. Petitions from 
the people demanded economy and retrenchment, 
regulations for the sale of wild lands, the abolition 
of Crown and Clergy Reserves and all reservations, 
except for educational purposes; the abolition of 
banking monopolies, the simplification of law 
practice and the reduction of fees, the equal 
distribution of intestate estates, the establishing 
of new modes for trying impeachments, the control 
of the public revenue by the representatives of the 
people, a revision of the jury selecting system, a 
repeal of the everlasting Salary Bill ; for disquali 
fying priests and bishops from holding seats in the 
two Councils, for taking votes at convenient places, 
for allowing the people to control local taxes, for 
the abolition of the tea monopoly, and for the equal 
representation of the people in the House. 

Gourlay was at one time confined in gaol, but was 
finally released. Mackenzie held several meetings 
in the District, which led to many interruptions 
and agitations of a violent character. One of the 
gravest evils complained of was that elections were 
held only at central points, and continued for many 
days under circumstances which frequently led to 
disturbances and even bloodshed. At Beverly 
(Delta) riots broke out during the polling, in which 
bands of armed men, brought all the way from 
Ottawa, insulted, beat and maltreated the yeomanry 
of the surrounding country. 

Ogle R. Gowan was the most prominent assailant 
of Mackenzie in this district, and upon several 
occasions appeared at meetings held by that gentle 
man, and replied with a bitterness which increased 
the general dissatisfaction. Gowan, led away by 
prejudice, denounced all by whom he was opposed 
as traitors and demagogues. 

United Empire Loyalists and their descendants 
were accused of sedition, and to prevent the assem 
bling of conventions, Jonas Jones, of Brockville, on 
the 28th of October, 1816, introduced a bill intituled 
" An Act for the Prevention of Certain Meetings 
Within this Province." Twelve, out of the thirteen 
members in the House, voted for the bill. The law 
was, however, repealed two years afterwards. 

Through the persecution of Mackenzie and other 
Radical leaders, the excitement in Upper Canada 
continued to increase. The great mass of tin- 
people were favorable to British connexion, and 



44 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



had no desire to embrace Republicanism. They 
demanded reforms, and met with the response, 
Traitor ! It is not surprising, therefore, that leaders 
were led into excess, particularly when we recall the 
unconstitutional conduct of the representative of 
His Majesty in the Province, Sir Francis Head. If 
Bidwell and Mackenzie were rash, their rashness 
may with truth be ascribed to the conduct of Sir 
Francis, who, according to Lord Durham s report, 
" appears to have thought that the maintenance of 
the connection with Great Britain depended upon 
his triumph over the majority in the Assembly." 

In March, 1832, a stormy meeting was held in the 
Court House, Brockvillc, the object being the forma 
tion of the Emigrant Society, in compliance with 
the recommendation of Sir John Colborne. The 
requisition calling the meeting was signed by 

Charles Jones, L. C., Bartholomew Carley, 

Jonas Jones, Henry Burritt, 

H. Jones, M. P. P,. W. L. Whiting, 

R. D. Fraser, M. P., A. McMillan, 

Daniel Burritt, A. Sherwood, 

Dunham Jones, A. McLean, 

D. Breakenridge, Sylvester Wright, 

O. R. Gowan, Joseph K. Ilartwell, 

John L. Read, George Crawford. 

After the object of the meeting proper had been 
accomplished, it was proposed to draft an address, 
to be presented to His Majesty the King. As the 
address recited "that the Province was in a most 
flourishing condition, enjoying the blessings of a 
free constitution, and a Government most liberally 
and impartially administered," it was violently 
opposed by the Liberals present. Speeches were 
made by Paul Glasford, Richard D. Fraser, Walter 
C. Crofton, Norton Buell, Mr. Pennock, Jonas Jones, 
George Crawford, Adiel Sherwood, Bartholomew 
Carley, James Gray, Henry Jones, Robert Harvey, 
James Morris, and Ogle R. Gowan. The debate 
waxed so hot that, at one time, there was danger of 
a serious encounter. The Liberal party, under the 
leadership of Mr. Buell, left the Court House, and 
proceeded to organize a meeting at the inn of Mr. 
Mair, at which a petition was prepared, of a diame 
trically opposite character from the one submitted 
at the Court House. The following persons were 
nominated to circulate the petition : Truelove 
Butler, Charles Booth, Samuel Pennock, Samuel 
Lee, Hugh Scott, Richard Colcman, Tlios. Purvis, 
John Dickey, David Mallory, James B. Howard, 
Allan Sweet, Levi Soper, James Phillips, George 
Delong, Silas Smith, Jonathan B. Day, Thomas 
Knowlton, Peter Howard, Joshua Bates, Elisha 
Landon, John Ketchum, Samuel Olds, Joseph 
Haskin, Ivhvard Howard, John Weeks, Samuel 



Booth, John Henderson, Robert Clark, William 
Cowan, William Br "an, Jonathan Lyman. Daniel 
P.crney, B. F. Wilson, Abel Wright, Robert Powell, 
and Patrick Murphy. 

Year after year, the contest increased in bitter- 
nesss, until Mackenzie and a few followers were 
driven into rebellion, and united in a mad attempt 
to capture Little York. The prisons were filled 
with persons charged with treason. Numbers fled 
to the United States. Many American citizens 
were, in consequence, impressed with the idea that 
the majority of Canadians were desirous of annexing 
the Province to the United States. Private schemes 
of personal aggrandizement were organized, public 
meetings held, and a secret society formed, known 
as Hunter s Lodges, for the purpose of preparing an 
army for the invasion of Canada. But very few 
Canadians sympathized with the scheme, though 
many were smarting from the infliction of grievous 
wrongs. 

The following is a list of those arrested for 
treason in the Johnstown District : 

Thomas Wilson, Methodist preacher, Dec. 13, 1837; 
not tried, discharged by magistrates. 

William H. Sherman, shoemaker, Dec. 18, 1837 ; 
not tried, discharged by magistrates. 

William Pike, yeoman, Dec. 18, 1837 ; not tried, 
discharged by magistrates no evidence. 

Charles Swift, saddler, Dec. 27, 1837 ; discharged 
by magistrates. 

Charles R. Bryan, Jan. 2, 1838 ; discharged by 
magistrates. 

John Thomas, yeoman, Feb. 6, 1838 ; discharged 
by magistrates. 

James Malone, tailor, July 25, 1838 ; discharged 
by magistrates. 

William Parrott, laborer, Aug. 8, 1838 ; discharged 
by magistrates. 

On December 291(1, 1837, a small force, under the 
command of Lieutenant Drew, R.N., was despatched 
by Sir Allan McNab to Navy Island, and the Steamer 
Can>/iiif (which had been acting as a supply boat for 
the force under General Rensselacr, at that time 
threatening Canada,) cut away, set on fire and sent 
over Niagara Falls. On the i2th day of February, 
1838, William L. McKenzie, who had made his 
escape to the United States, addressed the citizens 
of Ogdensburg on the Canadian question. In the 
evening and following morning a cannon was fired 
several times, in honor of the speaker. Several 
persons from Prescott crossed to ascertain the 
matter, and were illegally arrested and detained 
over night. This action upon the part of the 
Americans increased the growing hostility, and em 
bittered the feeling along the frontier. On the iRth 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



45 



day of the same month the State Arsenal at Water- 
town was robbed of quite a quantity of munitions 
of war, and steps taken by the Hunters Lodges for 
an immediate descent upon Canada. 

On the night of the 291)1 of May, the British steam 
boat Sir Robert Peel, owned principally by parties 
who resided in Brockviile, on her passage up from 
Prescott to the head of the lake, touched a wharf at 
Well s Island for the purpose of obtaining a supply 
of wood. The captain of the steamer was informed 
that armed men had been seen on the island during 
the day ; but he took no heed of the warning, let 
down the steam, and proceeded to take on the wood. 
After the boat had been moored about an hour, a 
band of men armed with guns and bayonets, painted 
and dressed in Indian costume, suddenly rushed 
upon the boat, and, by hideous yells and threats, 
drove all the officers, hands and passengers on shore. 
Many of the passengers in the ladies cabin were not 
given sufficient time to dress, and lost the greater 
part of their baggage. 

The pirates- then plundered the boat of such valu 
ables as they could lay hands upon, after which they 
attempted to get the vessel out into the stream, but 
in so doing she was run upon a shoal. The torch 
was then applied, and the steamer burned to the 
water s edge. The number of armed men engaged 
in the piracy was twenty-two ; their place of en 
campment having been a secluded spot on Abel s 
Island. 

. At five o clock in the morning, while the Sir Robert 
Peel was still burning, the steamer Oneida arrived 
and took off the passengers, conveying them to 
Kingston 

The leader of the party who engaged in the piracy 
subsequently published the following manifesto in 
the American newspapers : 



To all "tslioni it aia\ concern : 

I, William Johnston, a natural born citizen of 
Upper Canada, certify that I hold a commission in 
the Patriot Service of Upper Canada, as Commander- 
in-Chief of the naval forces and flotilla. I com 
manded the expedition that attacked and destroyed 
the steamer Sir Robert Feel. The men under my 
command in that expedition were nearly all natural 
born English subjects ; the exceptions were volun 
teers for the expedition. 

My headquarters were on an inland in the St. 
Lawrence, without the jurisdiction of the United 
States, at a place named by me Fort Y. .dhice. I am 
well acquainted with the boundary line, and know 
which of the islands do, and do not, belong to the 
United States ; and in the selection of the island I 
wished to Jie positive, and not locate within the 
jurisdiction <! ;hc United States, and l> id reference 



to the decision of the Commissioners, under the 6th 
article of the Treaty of Ghent, done at Utica, in the 
State of New York, June i3th, 1822. I know the 
number of islands, and by that decision it was 
British Territory. 

I yet hold possession of that station, and we also 
occupy a station some twenty or more miles from 
the boundary of the United States, in what was His 
Majesty s dominions, until it was occupied by us. I 
act under orders. The object of my movements is 
the independence of the Canadas. I am not at war 
with the commerce or prosperity of citizens of the 
United States. 

Signed the tenth day of June, 1838. 

WILLIAM JOHNSTON. 

Governor Marcy of New York immediately issued 
a proclamation offering a reward of $500 for the 
arrest of Johnston ; $250 for Daniel McLeod, 
Samuel C. Frey, and Robert Smith ; and $100 each 
for the detection and arrest of the other offenders. 
The Canadian Government also offered a reward of 
$5,000 for the conviction of any person or persons 
concerned in the outrage. 

On the morning of the 2nd June, 1838, the 
American steamer Telegraph called at Brockviile, 
and was hailed by two sentries belonging to the 
militiamen. Not responding, six shots were fired 
by the sentry, three of the balls taking effect in the 
steamer. Upon examination it was ascertained that 
the firing was not justified by orders, the sentries 
stating that they had discharged their pieces as 
alarm guns. 

BATTLE OF THE WINDMILL 

Early in November, 1838, the so-called Patriots 
rallied in clubs and secret lodges, making prepar 
ations for a descent upon Canada. Bands of men 
assembled at Syracuse, Sackett s Harbour, Water- 
town, and Oswego, who openly declared their inten 
tion of invading British soil. Large quantities of 
arms and munitions of war were collected and 
secreted along the St. Lawrence frontier. 

On the loth of November, two schooners, named 
the Charlotte of Oswego, and the Charlotte of Toronto 
were freighted at Oswego, from boats that had 
arrived from Syracuse by the Oswego Canal. The 
steamer Unile.i St.ites left Oswego about nine 
o clock on Sunday morning, the nth November, to 
continue her regular down trip. She had on board 
at the time about one hundred and fifty passengers. 
A nail keg was put on board, the head of which 
came out, when it was found that the keg was 
filled with bullets. A number of boxes were taken 
on board, marked Cape Vincent. When the steamer 
arrived at Sackett s Ilarb u", about thirty men came 



4 6 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



on board. On reaching Cape Vincent, an addi 
tional reinforcement was received. On arriving at 
the foot of Long Island, the two schooners that left 
Oswego on the loth, were discovered and taken in 
tow by the steamer, a schooner being lashed to each 
side. After leaving French Creek, swords and 
pistols were taken from the boxes on board the 
steamer, with which the men proceeded to arm 
themselves. Just before the steamer reached 
Morristown (about eleven o clock on Sunday night, 
Nov. u) the schooners were unfastened and dropped 
astern. After remaining in Morristown about three 
hours, the United States proceeded to Ogdensburg, 
where she arrived at three o clock on Monday 
morning. The schooners, after parting company 
with the steamer, proceeded to Prescott. They 
contained a military armament, under the command 
of General John W. Birge, but which were under 
the more immediate command of a Polish officer 
named Von Schoultz, who had engaged in military 
operations in his native land. Upon approaching 
Prescott, one of the schooners was made fast to the 
upper wharf, and Von Schoultz urged the men to 
land, with bayonets fixed, march into the village, 
and take possession of the fort. A difference of 
opinion as to the mode of attack arose, which led 
to a delay, and the schooner was cast off. Soon 
after, the Charlotte of Oswego grounded in the mud 
in the delta of Oswegatchie River. At daylight 
Monday morning, a crowd assembled on the dock 
at which the steamer United States was moored, 
seized an iron six-pounder, belonging to the Village 
of Ogdensburg, and a brass four-pounder, the 
property of the State of New York. The leaders 
then mustered a volunteer company, openly deriding 
the local civil authorities. Having obtained a crew, 
the fires of the steamer were lighted, and, as soon 
as steam was up, she left the wharf, and proceeded 
to the assistance of the schooner that had run 
aground. The schooner Charlotte of Toronto, after 
casting off from the upper wharf, fell down the 
stream, and took up a position, early in the 
morning, nearly opposite the windmill, about a mile 
below the village. The walls of the mill were thick 
and massive, and the interior divided into several 
stories. In the vicinity of the mill were several 
massive stone houses, all of which were at the 
time inhabited by families. The point on which the 
mill stands juts out a short distance into the St. Law 
rence, and at that time the margin of the river was, 
fora considerable space above and below, overgrown 
by a thicket of cedar. At this point a lodgement 
was made, and a portion of the armament of the 
schooner was landed. The steamer United States did 
not succeed in pulling off the grounded schooner, 



and presently returned to the American shore. The 
Experiment, a British steamboat, was lying at this 
time at the wharf at Prescott ; being armed with 
cannon, she fired upon her without effect. Addi 
tional hands were procured to navigate the steamer, 
which had herself grounded for a short time on her 
first trip, and she was again worked into the river, 
near where the schooner Charlotte of Oswego, lay 
aground, and soon after again returned. A demand 
was here made, from one on board to those on 
shore, for a longer hawser, which was promised from 
a neighboring store, and a quantity of bread and 
other provisions was conveyed aboard. On again 
leaving the dock she went out into the channel, 
going between the grounded schooner and the 
British shore, and passed down the river to Wind 
mill Point, and was twice fired upon by the Experi 
ment. After arriving at Windmill Point she re 
mained there some time, and about this time the 
Charlotte of Toronto, having remained opposite the 
Windmill till about the middle of the day, sailed up 
the river and came to anchor near the American shore, 
not far from where the other schooner subsequently 
anchored, and remained till dark. The movements 
of the United States had consumed nearly half of the 
day, and she came up at almost the same time with 
the Charlotte of Toronto, and apparently with the 
view to cover her from the fire of the British steam 
boat. She again went down to Windmill Point, at 
each time of passing receiving a fire from the Ex 
periment. As she was coming up on the last trip, a 
cannon shot from the British steamer entered the 
wheel house, and instantly beheaded a young man 
by the name of Solomon Foster, who stood as pilot 
at the wheel. During the last trip of the steamer it 
was observed that but a small part of those who 
went to Windmill Point returned. In the afternoon 
of Monday a small steamer, the Paul Pry, went 
from Ogdensburg to the stranded schooner, and 
succeeded in hauling her off. Not long after being 
relieved, she passed down and took a position near 
the other schooner, and in performing this service, 
encountered a brisk fire from the Experiment. During 
Monday there was frequent crossing of the river in 
small boats. Monday night was spent by the in 
vaders at the Windmill and adjacent premises. On 
Tuesday morning the two schooners were seized by 
the United States Marshal. The Charlotte of Oswego, 
at the time of seizure, had on her deck two or three 
cannon, one being properly mounted on wheels, the 
others on small plank trucks. There were also on 
board, boxes and small casks, which contained guns 
and ammunitions of war. After the United States 
steamer had been seized, her machinery was taken 
apart, so that she could not be used. On Tuesday 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



47 



the British armed steamers Cobourg and Victoria ar 
rived at Prescott with a reinforcement of troops, and 
at about seven o clock, they, together with the Ex 
periment, opened a discharge of cannon, throwing 
shot at the Windmill. The insurgents replied from 
their battery on shore. On Tuesday a detachment 
of forty men of the 8jrd regiment, under Lieutenant 
Johnston, and thirty mariners under Lieutenant 
Parker, were landed, and joined by detachments of 
militia. At a quarter before seven the British ad 
vanced in two columns. The left, under Colonel D. 
Fraser, consisting of the mariners, Captain G. Mc 
Donnell s company of Highlanders, Captains Jones 
and Eraser s companies of the 2nd regiment of 
Grenville militia, and 100 men of Colonel Martle s 
men of Stormont militia. The right column was led 
by Colonel Gowan, of the Queen s Borderers, and 
one hundred of Captain Martle s regiment. Soon 
after a line of fire blazed along the summit of the 
hill, in the rear of the mill, for about eighty or one 
hundred rods, and the report of small arms made an 
incessant roar. The invaders were mostly protected 
by stone walls, and comparatively secure, while the 
British were fully exposed in the open field, and 
suffered greatly from the sharp shooters posted in 
the upper portion of the mill. The British did not 
at that time have at Prescott guns of sufficient 
weight to make a sensible impression upon the 
massive walls of the tower, their shot rebounding 
from the surface without producing effect. 

After twenty or thirty minutes, the party gave 
way, and retired over the hill. At the time when 
the action commenced, the invading force was 
supposed to have numbered about one hundred 
and eighty, but during the engagement, a party 
consisting of about fifty, were separated from their 
comrades, scattered, pursued and captured in detail. 
The invaders lost in the engagement five killed and 
thirteen wounded. Finding that the stronghold 
resisted any means of attack which they possessed, 
the British resolved to await the arrival of heavier 
cannon, taking precautions, meanwhile, to prevent 
any reinforcement being sent over from the Amer 
ican shore. From nine till three there was but 
little excitement. An irregular firing was kept up 
on the windmill, and a body of regulars fired an 
occasional volley at a stone house in which a 
portion of the insurgents were established. At 
three o clock in the afternoon, a barn was burned 
by the invaders, as sheltering the British. During 
this time, the force occupied the windmill and 
several of the houses adjoining, and the brow of 
the hill. On the evening of the i3th, a requisition 
was sent to Sackett s Harbour by the Americans 
for more troops, to assist those already at 



Ogdensburg, in restraining any attempt at rein 
forcement. The dead and wounded lay on the 
field until the morning of the i4th (Wednesday), 
when the British sent a flag of truce for permission 
to bury the dead, and both parties were for a short 
time engaged in collecting and carrying off from 
the field the slain. On the forenoon of Thursday, 
Colonel North sent for several of the prominent 
citizens of Ogdensburg, to ask their advice on the 
propriety of applying to Colonel Young, the British 
commander, to ask of him the privilege of staying 
the further effusion of blood, by being allowed to 
remove the invaders, and becoming responsible 
that they should attempt no further disturbance 
on the frontier. 

The measure met with the approbation of those 
consulted, and a messenger was despatched to 
consult with the British commander, who declined 
the proposition. 

The steamers Cobaurg and Victoria, having been 
dispatched to Kingston for guns of greater calibre, 
and the machinery of the Experiment being under 
repair, the citizens of Ogdensburg determined, if 
possible, to remove their countrymen from their 
perilous position. This delicate and responsible 
service was entrusted to Preston King, Esq., at that 
time postmaster of the village. A sufficient number 
of volunteers were raised for the occasion, and the 
steamer repaired to the vicinity of the windmill. 
Among the volunteers, was a man connected wi.h 
the invaders, who was said to be an officer of their 
organization ; he was, for these reasons, recom 
mended to open communication with them, and 
was sent on shore in a small row-boat, to announce 
the errand of the steamer, which, as the shore was 
shoal, and there was no wharf, was compelled to 
lay off several rods from the bank, to avoid 
grounding. 

By subsequent information, it was ascertained 
that some person who went ashore in the first 
boat, reported that a reinforcement of men and 
supplies might soon be expected by the invaders, 
and they were advised to maintain their position. 

After waiting a considerable time for the return 
of the row-boat, Mr. King took a new boat, repaired 
to the windmill, made known the nature of his 
errand, stated the folly of looking for reinforce 
ments, and earnestly requested them to avail 
themselves of the only chance of escape that 
would be offered. The invaders refused to avail 
themselves of the offer, and Mr. King was reluc 
tantly compelled to return, without having accom 
plished his purpose, any further than to bring off 
six or seven men from the mill. He had scarcely 
returned to port, when the British armed steamer 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



was seen proceeding down the river, and all chance 
of passing between the mill and the American shore 
was cut off. 

On the morning of the i6th, the British., having 
received ordinance sufficient for the reduction of 
the place, set themselves at work systematically for 
that purpose. During the forenoon, an uncon 
ditional surrender was made, the prisoners being 
marched out between files of regulars, and con 
ducted to Fort Wellington. 

The following account of the battle is from a 
summary given by a British officer who was present, 
and also the official reports : 

Early in November, 1838, rumours had been 
very generally circulated, of an intended descent 
upon some part of the frontier of the Johnstown 
District, by brigands, who, it was well known, had 
been organizing on the American shore, for that 
purpose ; but, from the secrecy of their proceedings 
and the extent of line (65 miles) to superintend, 
it was impossible to form a correct opinion as to 
the exact spot. Circumstances, however, induced 
Colonel Young, commanding the District, to imagine 
that Brockville or Prescott would be the point of 
descent ; he accordingly took every precautionary 
measure of which his resourses would admit. 
Towards the gth of the month, the reports on the 
subject gained still more credence, and scarcely a 
doubt remained that the period of invasion was not 
far distant. At this time, the whole force at Pres 
cott (headquarters) consisted of thirty-five effective 
men, of the Lancaster (Glengarry) Highlanders, 
under Captain George Macdonnell ; four weak 
companies, ist and 2nd Battalions of Grenville 
Militia, hastily collected, under Captain:; Dunham 
Jones, Eraser, Henderson, and Thomas ; a few men 
of an independent compan) r , which Captain Jessup 
had just been authorized to form ; and fifty of the 
townsmen, under Captain McMillan, amounting 
altogether, to about 150 rank and file. This small 
and, for the greater part, undisciplined band, was 
nightly under arms, either as piquets, or ready to 
move in a moment on any point. About 2 o clock 
on the morning of Monday, the i2th, a suspicious 
sail was descried coming down the river, unusual!} 
close to shore, by the double sentries posted on the 
most prominent wharf, one of whom ran in imme 
diately to apprise the commanding officer, who had 
left the spot but a few minutes before. The night 
being extremely dark, and it blowing hard, Colonel 
Young, supposing she would by that time be abreast 
of the town, ran down to Fraser s wharf, not far 
distant, and reached it just in time to assist in 
frustrating the efforts of the schooners (two being 
lashed together) to grapple with the wharf. He \ 



hailed without receiving an answer, and, perceiving 
the intention of the schooners to drop down to 
McMillan s wharf (distant about 150 yards), he 
hastened thither, closely followed by a few strag 
gling townsmen, with arms, who were on the alert, 
and found them rapidly approaching, he, as well as 
Mr. Stephen Jones, hailing again to no purpose, 
although the schooners were so near that a person 
could have jumped on board. Colonel Young 
threatened to fire into them, when a man cried out, 
Charlotte of Toronto ; George, Master," at the same 
time, putting the helm down, and standing across 
the river, towards the American shore. The vessels 
separating immediately afterwards, and the night 
being very dark, they were soon out of sight. In a 
short time after, the American steamboat United 
States came down, and went into the port of 
Ogdensburg, immediately opposite Prescott ; and 
about an hour before daylight, the small British 
steamer Experiment, with one i8-lb. cannonade, and 
one 3-lb. carriage-gun, commanded by Lieutenant 
Fowell, of the Royal Navy, arrived from Brockville, 
with Colonel Duncan Fraser and the volunteers on 
board, and, having ascertained that the schooners 
were in the American waters, returned, and remained 
in front of the town for its protection. The alarm 
spreading rapidly through the town, the inhabitants 
of every class turned out to join the troops, and the 
intense anxiety for daylight is not to be described. 
Every eye was on the strain, and, at the first dawn, 
two large schooners (one aground), their decks 
covered with men, were seen at anchor in the 
American waters, near Ogdensburg, and about 
three-quarters of a mile from Prescott. The 
proximity of a formidable enemy was no longer 
doubtful. Soon after sunrise, numerous boats, 
crowded with men, passed frequently between the 
American shore and the vessels, and an immediate 
attack upon the town was naturally expected. 
Between 7 and 8 A. M., the Uni eJ S/jfes was 
observed getting up her steam, and, shortly after 
wards, three gentlemen, of Prescott, returned from 
Ogdensburg, where the}" had gone to ascertain the 
real state of things, informed us that the United 
Stiili i wn:; in possession of the Patriots, that the 
mob had overpowered the authorities, and that 
they had taken possession of two guns (6 and 
8-pOunders) in charge of the Volunteer Artillery 
there. At the same time, a person came over, 
and stated that his brother, assistant engineer of 
the vessel, was obliged to superintend one of the 
engines, two men standing over him with pistols, 
and that the best men in Ogdensburg were putting 
wood on board, to enable her to cross over and take 
Prescott. 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVIL 



49 



At 9 o clock the United States left the port of 
Ogdensburg, and attempted to assist the schooner 
which had grounded on the bar, but finding her 
chain too short, she returned for another. On 
coining cut again and entering the British waters, 
the little Experiment met her in a most dauntless 
manner, and gave her a shot from each of her guns. 
The States finding herself thus vigorously attacked, 
abandoned the schooner on the bar, and steered 
toward the Windmill Point, with the other schooner, 
the Enperiaicnt, still firing upon her, and sending 
into her t\vo shots, one in the hull, the other in the 
upper works. However, the men on board those 
vessels (between 200 and 300), with three pieces of 
artillery, succeeded in landing, occupied the Wind 
mill Point (a stone tower of considerable strength), 
and the stone buildings in the vicinity, threw up a 
breast-work on the brow of the hill, and placed two 
guns to command the road from Prescott, and 
another facing the river St. Lawrence. Lieutenant 
Farrell did not think it prudent to allow himself to 
be drawn too far down, lest the town should be at 
tacked by the other schooner. He therefore put the 
Experiment about, and stood up the river at the 
moment the American steamer Paul Prv succeeded 
in getting the schooner off the bar, when observing 
them standing into British waters, he fired a charge 
of grape at the latter, and one of canister at the 
Paul Pry, the former of which took full effect, the 
wretches on board the schooner prostrating them 
selves on the deck and crying out for mercy. At 
this moment the States moving up, and the schooner s 
gib filling, the latter fired his guns at the Experi 
ment, the shots falling in the town, and stood within 
the American channel. The States then appc: 
under a heavy press of steam, intending to run the 
little Experiment down before she coukl reach a 
shoal water ; but the latter being put about, sent a 
lucky shot through her wheel house, and took off 
the pilot s head, which so discomfited the brigands, 
(there being no person on board acquainted with 
the bar) that the boat stood towards the light house, 
and dropped anchor close to Ogdcnsburg. The 
scene during this period was awful in the extreme 
to the inhabitants, who saw their town threatened at 
two points by at least 600 lawless foreigners, deter 
mined, no dmi ijt, on massacre and plunder. The 
plan was well laid ; the enemy must have been well 
aware of the impossibility of Colonel Young at 
tempting to oppose their landing at the mill with 
any effect, so long as the town was menaced with an 
attack also from the force in his front. All he could 
do was to post parties a short distance in advance 
of the town, at the roads leading to the Windmill, 
the Rideau Canal and Ikockville, the greater part 

7 



of his small force remaining formed in the main 
street, ready to move at a moment on any point. 
Llt le could the enemy have calculated on the re 
sistance they had to encounter from the Experiment. 
This boat appeared no larger than a ship s launch, 
in comparison to her opponent ; but she was so 
skilfully manoeuvred, and so gallantly fought, that 
the American could not gain the least advantage 
of her for one moment, although the most strenuous 
is were made. The cool and determined con 
duct of Lieutenant Powell, and his brave crew, 
excited the admiration of all who witnessed this 
animated and momentous affair. 

Being tolerably secure from any further attempt 
from the American steamboats, attention was chiefly 
directed to the force which had effected a landing at 
Windmill Point, than which no position in the neigh 
borhood could be better calculated for their purpose. 
The bridge over Honeywell s Creek, one mile from 
Prescott, on the road to Brockville, having been 
n up, and two dragoons going with despatches 
to that town, and a small piquet stationed at the 
bridge mnde prisoners and carried off by persons 
who landed there at daylight from two large boats, 
Mr. Stephen Jones offered to take a circuitous route, 
and procure such reinforcement as could be spared 
consistently with the safety of Brockville. Accord 
ingly, Lieut. -Col. Gowan arrived at dark with the 
men he had enlisted for the Ninth Battalion Incor 
porated Militia, commanded by Captain Edmondson, 
with a few he had enlisted for an independent 
company ; and they immediately, notwithstanding 
the fatigue of a long march and the inclemency of 
the weather, took up their position in front of and 
on the ruins of Fort Wellington, nearly the whole 
of the militia being, at the same time, posted to 
watch the enemy, and protect the town of Prescott. 
About midnight, Captain San;loin, R. N., command 
ing on the lakes, came do-.vn from Kingston in the 
armed steamer 7"/VAvv>, accompanied by the Cul tiurg, 
with two officers and seventy-four men of the &T,rd. 
Regiment and Royal Marines on board, and having 
placed these detachments ai. Colonel Young s dis 
posal, a combined attack on the position occupied 
by the enemy at the mill was decided upon. The 
probable line of defence to be adopted by the 
brigands (who 1: considerably reinforced 

from the American shore during the early part of 
the night) being ascertained, Colonel Young made 
arrangements to move off his ground soon after 
daylight, in two columns one composed of thirty 
men of the Royal Marines, under Lieutenant 
Parker, of that corps, Captain George Macdonnell s 
company of the Lancaster (Glengarry) Highlanders, 
having a few of Captain Jessup s company attached, 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



Captains Dunham Jones, S. Eraser, and Henderson s 
companies of the ist and 2nd Grenville Militia, with 
one company of the Dundas Militia, under Major 
Clark, amounting altogether to about 150 men, being 
placed under the command of Colonel Duncan 
Eraser, of the Grenville Militia (an officer well 
known in the Province for his remarkable energy 
and bravery), with instructions to move round some 
marshy ground, and attack the enemy in that 
direction ; while the other, composed of forty-four 
men of the 83rd Regiment, and commanded by 
Lieutenant Johnson, and the 9th Battalion Johns 
town Militia, with Captain Edmondson and his 
few men attached (about 160 in all), under charge 
of Lieutenant-Colonel Gowan, by the high road 
on the bank of the river, from Prescott to Johns 
town, and, if successful in dislodging the enemy 
from the walls behind which they were posted, 
make an effort, in conjunction with Colonel Eraser s 
column, to carry the mill and other stone buildings. 
The charge of protecting the town, and watching 
the movements on the opposite shore, was entrusted 
to Captain Jessup, who, from his activity and know 
ledge of those he had to deal with, was well 
calculated for this duty. Information having been 
received, about three o clock in the morning, of the 
approach of a detachment of the Stormont Militia, 
under Colonels Crysler and Markley, a dragoon was 
dispatched to meet and conduct them through the 
intricate country they had to traverse, and, when 
on the point of putting the columns in motion, 
Colonel Young had the satisfaction to see them 
arrive on the ground. The steamers under Captain 
Sandom dropping down towards the mill, no time 
could be spared to refresh the weary troops. Half 
of them, about eighty men, were instantly attached 
to each of the previously formed columns, when the 
order to advance was given, and the whole moved 
off towards their destined points. Both columns 
advanced in silence and with marked regularity, 
and in twenty minutes were within rifle-shot of the 
enemy, posted in force some distance in front and 
flank of the windmill. That led by Colonel Eraser 
was the first to receive their fire, and the action 
soon became general. The intervening ground was 
open, and Colonel Young, who accompanied the 
column that was advancing by the high road, being 
apprehensive that every shot from the men pro 
tected by the walls would tell, perceived at once 
the advantage of closing rapidly with them, and his 
order being obeyed in the most enthusiastic and 
determined manner, the enemy were, in less than 
an hour, dislodged in succession from all of the 
walls, some houses, and a grocery which they occu 
pied, and compelled to fly for refuge to the mill and 



two or three stone buildings close to it ; but, on 
approaching these buildings, we found that they 
were well manned, and a destructive fire, by which 
several valuable lives were lost, being kept up from 
the upper windows of the mill, and a strong stone 
store which flanked it as completely as if built for 
that purpose, the troops were placed under partial 
cover, within one hundred yards, in the hope that a 
breach would be made by the armed steamers, 
from which an incessant fire of shot and shell 
had been maintained from the commencement of 
the operations. 

At this time it was considered to be impracticable 
to make an effectual impression by such means upon 
the buildings, the balls glancing off without doing 
any injury. Colonel Young, unwilling to risk the 
advantage he had already gained, and the certain 
destruction of many more of his men, decided on 
drawing a cordon of sufficient force round the 
brigands, until heavier guns could be procured. 
Accordingly, having established the necessary posts, 
and removed the wounded from the field, he ordered 
the remainder of the force back to Prescott at 3 P. M. 
Late in the evening, Lieutenant-Colonel Gowan s 
battalion returned to Brockville. 

In the engagement, the detachments of the 83rd 
Regiment, the Royal Marines, and the Militia, dis 
played most fully the characteristic coolness and 
bravery of British soldiers, and the severe loss they 
suffered (74 killed and wounded) is the best proof 
of their determination to free their country from 
the band of miscreants who had dared to invade it. 
The faithfulness with which the Militia performed 
various harrassing duties, being exposed to wet and 
cold, was highly creditable to them. When the 
cordon was about to be formed, fatigued as they 
were, every man wished to remain the entire body 
actuated by the same feeling a full determination 
to prevent the escape of one of the murderous gang 
in the mill, and this determination was so fully 
carried out that all were eventually captured. 

The service had to deplore the loss of Lieutenant 
Johnston, of the 83rd Regiment, a brave and valu 
able officer, who was killed within sixty yards of 
the mill ; and Lieutenant Dulmage, of the First 
Battalion of Grenville Militia, who was killed at the 
head of his men. Lieutenant-Colonel Gowan was 
slightly wounded. Lieutenant Parker, of the Royal 
Marines, was severely wounded in the arm, but 
would not leave the field. Lieutenant Parlow, of 
Dundas Militia, and Ensign A. McDonnell, of the 
Lancaster (Glengarry) Highlanders, having given 
ample proof of their gallantry, were also wounded. 
Every officer and soldier engaged did his duty to 
the utmost, Colonel Eraser and Captain George 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



McDonnell being conspicuous for their bravery 
during the day. 

Major William McQueen, Captain Cargie, and 
many of the gentlemen of Prescott and Brockville, 
joined the force, and rendered much service by their 
spirited example. 

The wounded men were kindly attended by Dr. 
Scott, Dr. Chisholm, and the other practitioners of 
Prescott. 

The enemy stood their ground with more firmness 
than could be expected, and only retired before the 
bayonet. They suffered severely ; two of their com 
manders, Brown and Phillips (supposed to be James 
Phillips, of Phillipsville), with eighteen men were 
killed ; twenty were wounded, and twenty-six, 
including Colonel Abbey, the second in command, 
were taken prisoners. 

RETURN OF KILLED AND WOUNDED, BRITISH AND 
CANADIAN FORCE. 

The S^rd Regiment. One lieutenant killed ; four 
rank and file wounded. 

Royal Marines. One rank and file killed ; one 
lieutenant, and thirteen rank and file, wounded. 

Lancaster (Glengarry) Highlanders. Five rank 
and file killed ; one ensign, and seven rank and file, 
wounded. 

Ninth Provincial Battalion. One lieutenant-colo 
nel, and eight rank and file, wounded. 

Dundas Militia. Four rank and file killed ; one 
lieutenant, and five rank and file, wounded. 

First Regiment Grenville Militia. Two rank and 
file killed ; four rank and file wounded. 

Second Regiment Grenville Militia One lieu 
tenant killed ; four rank and file wounded. 

Captain Edmondson s Brockville Independent 
Company. One rank and file killed ; three rank 
and file, wounded. 

Captain Jessup s Company, Prescott. Four rank 
and file, and one sergeant, wounded. 

Gentlemen Volunteers. Two wounded. 

NAMES OF OFFICERS KILLED. 

Lieutenant W. S. Johnston, 83rd Regiment. 
Lieutenant Dulmage, Grenville Militia. 

WOUNDED. 

Lieutenant-Colonel O. R. Gowan, 2nd Provincial 
Battalion ; slightly. 

Lieutenant Parker, Royal Marines : severely. 

Lieutenant Parlow, Dundas Militia ; severely. 

Ensign A. McDonnell, Lancaster Glengarry High 
landers ; severely. 

Gentlemen Volunteers Russell, severely. 

Gentlemen Volunteers Wilson, slightly. 



When intelligence reached Kingston, Colonel 
Dundas, of the 83rd Regiment, embarked a strong 
detachment and a battery of six-pounders. On 
arriving at Prescott, it was found that the field 
pieces were too light, and they were returned to 
Kingston in the afternoon, eighteen-pounders being 
sent down to reduce the walls of the mill. 

Fully 2,500 men belonging to the Militia, had 
collected by the night of the i4th. 

About i P. M., on Friday, the i6th, Colonel Dundas 
arrived from Kingston, with two eighteen-pounders 
and one howitzer, under Major McBean, R. A., and 
four companies of the Ssrd, under Major Trydell. 
At half-past four p. M., the guns having been placed 
in position at 400 yards, the buildings occupied by 
the brigands were assailed by a well directed fire 
from the cannon, in conjunction with the armed 
boats on the river, under Captain Sandom. The 
large stone house being riddled, and its garrison 
driven out, the enemy in the mill displayed the 
white flag, and surrendered unconditionally to 
Colonel Dundas. One hundred and three prisoners 
were secured, including eighteen wounded. The 
total number was subsequently swelled to 160, the 
balance being discovered in the cedars near the 
river. 

Colonel Dundas immediately re-embarked the 
troops which had accompanied him, with the 
prisoners in charge, and proceeded to Kingston at 
noon, on the I7th; the whole of the Militia who 
had assembled to give their aid, dispersing in the 
most orderly manner. 

During the rebellion, a party of Americans landed 
on Hickory Island, about four miles below Ganan- 
oque. A force from the Canadian Militia was 
assembled, and steps taken for making an attack 
upon the invaders, who, considering discretion the 
better part of valor, " folded their tents like the 
Arabs, and as silently stole away." 

Bill Johnston, the leader of the gang that burned 
the Sir Robert Peel, was in Ogdensburg during the 
battle of the windmill, and appeared openly on the 
streets. He and his son left the village in a small 
boat, which was pursued by the Collector of 
Ogdensburg. Johnston, being hard pressed, landed 
about three miles up the river, and finally sur 
rendered to C. T. Boshwell and A. B. James. The 
prisoner was immediately conveyed to Sackett s 
Harbor. 

The prisoners captured at the windmill were con 
veyed to Kingston, where they were confined. A 
few of the leaders were hanged, some were trans 
ported, while the boys, who formed a large 
percentage of the force, were, through the sugges- 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



tion of Judge Jones, of the Queen s Bench, set at 
liberty. 

Some months elapsed ere the ill feeling engen 
dered by the invasion subsided along the frontier, 
the greatest caution and forbearance being exercised 
by the officials on both sides of the line. 

The steamer United Staffs was particularly ob 
noxious to Canadians, in consequence of the active 
part she had taken in the battle of the windmill. 
On the i4th of April, 1839, as she was leaving 
Ogclensburg, several musket shots were fired from 
the wharf at Prescott, where a large crowd had 
assembled. The passengers also reported that shots 
were fired when she was passing Brockville. 

On May 171)1, 1839, the schooner G. F. }} ccks 
stopped at Brockville, to discharge some merchan 
dise. She had at the time a six-pound cannon on 
her deck, belonging to the State of New York, and 
consigned to A. B. James, of Ogclensburg, to replace 
the one that had been seized by the insurgents at 
the time of the battle of the windmill. The crowd 
on the wharf attempted to gain possession of the 
cannon, the crew of the vessel resisting. During 
the disturbance, the vessel was seized by the Col 
lector of Customs. The gun was then taken by the 
citizens, who paraded the streets with it, and fired 
it repeatedly. Colonel North, the American com 
mander at Sackett s Harbor, was promptly not 
and he repaired at once to Brockville in the steamer 
Oncida, and demanded of the Collector the grounds 
upon which the schooner had been seized. Not 
receiving a satisfactory answer, he proceeded to 
Prescott, and made a peremptory order upon 
Colonel Fraser for the release of the vessel and 
her cargo. The reply was returned that the vessel 
would be given up, but doubts were entertained 
whether the cannon could be recovered from those 
into whose hands it had fallen. Colonel North 
placed on board the Oncida one hundred regulars 
fully armed, and proceeded to Brockville. The 
steamer took up a position alongside the schooner, 
and a demand was once more made for the surrender 
of the vessel and the cannon. The wharves and 
block house were crowded with men, many of them 
armed, and the excitement was intense. Tim civic 
authorities exerted themselves to secure the return 
of the cannon, but were unable to persuade the 
excited citizens to surrender it quietly. Matters 
thus remained for several hours, during which a 
collision was momentarily expected. At 4 I . M., a 
steamer from Kingston, havirij ;rd a number 

of regulars, arrived, and, by their aid, f the 

ringleaders were arrested and lodged in the guard 
house. The cannon was also secured, and promptly 
to the United Su-Uio authorities. Tin; 



tidings of the event brought his Excellency Gov 
ernor Sir George Arthur to Brockville, where he 
was presented with an address signed by 266 
persons, who protested against the manner in 
which the gun had been given up. In his reply, 
the Governor admitted that the seizure was illegal, 
and regretted that greater caution had not been 
exercised. The step once taken, he regretted that 
the seizure was abandoned without due authority, 
and, more especially, under the circumstances, 
admitting, at the same time, that the magistrates 
had acted with honest zeal. He declared that the 
seizure and firing of the cannon v. as a lawless 
proceeding, and regretted the personal abuse which 
had been offered to foreign officers, who had 
entered the country in the discharge of a public 
duty. 

On the 4th of August, 1839, the American steam- 
packet St. Lawrence was met by Her Majesty s 
steamer Afonlrcal, when nearly opposite Brockville. 
The St. Lawrence was ordered to show her colors, 
but not complying, W. N. Fa well, the British com 
mander, gave orders to fire. Several muskets 
were discharged, but no lives lost. The affair 
was subsequently the subject of considerable 
correspondence between the British and American 
Governments. 

Gradually the feeling of hostility disappeared ; 
commerce and friendly intercourse were resumed 
between the citizens of the two countries, the past 
forgiven and an era of good-will set in, which, we 
trust, is destined to continue for all time to come. 

The direct result of the rebellion was the establish 
ment of Responsible Government and the inaugu 
ration of a judicious policy in accordance with the 
fundamental principles of the British Constitution. 
Experience had demonstrated that a succession of 
Governors, adwsed by a crown appointed Legislative 
Council, could not beneficially direct and control the 
a r : airs of a colony four thousand miles fr;>m Downing 
Street. The system was impracticable and of neces 
sity failed. The baleful effects were felt for many 
years after, and were only erradicated by the inau 
guration of institutions yielding the greatest happi- 
nev.s to the greatest number. 



CHAPTER XIV 
PAST AND THE PRESENT. 

FOB many years tl is of communication in the 

District of Johnstown were of the most primitive 
character. The water routes were cit first only 
available; then came the King s highway alon;;- 
the bunk of the river, connecting Montreal with 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



Kingston. In the winter, it was an easy matter 
to make a road passible, hut to construct one 
suitable for summer travel, v.-as a slow and laborious 
undertaking for a sparsely settled country. In low 
and swampy places, round trunks of trees were laid 
side by side, across the .roadway, to prevent the 
wheels from sinking in the mire. A resemblance 
to the King s corduroy cloth, gained for these 
crossways the name of "corduroy roads." 

In 1831, every male inhabitant not rated on the 
assessment roll, was liable to two days labor on 
the roads, and a person rated at not more than 
twenty-five pounds, to three days labor. In that 
year, ^20,000 were granted by the Legislature for 
the improvement of roads in the Province. 

In 1837, the stage coach running through 
Brockville was described as follows : " A heavy, 
lumbering vehicle, reeling and tumbling along ; 
pitching like a scow among the breakers of a lake 
storm." When a hill was reached, or a bad spot 
to be passed, travellers were frequently compelled 
to alight and trudge ankle-deep through the nv 

The rate it was possible to travel in stage coaches 
depended upon the elements. In the spring and 
fall, two miles an hour was all that could be accom 
plished. The cost of travelling was fully three 
times that of a first class fare charged at present 
on the Grand Trunk. Stories of great speed are 
related. Lord Sydenham is said to have been c m- 
veved by relays i.f horses from Ton in ." t ) MoiHre:.! 
in twenty-six hours. 

Ir was customary at one time for the G .ivernor of 
this Province to proceed up and down the St. Law- 
rence in a large bark canoe, rowed by twelve 
(-. /jsss. trs, and f:>!!->wj:l by another boat, in which 
the tents and provisions were carried. 

The cost of carrying goods between Montreal 
and Kingst;jii, before the Rideau or St. Lawrence 
Canals were built, seem.; to the present generation 
incredible. It was stated in the House of Commons 
in 1828, on undoubted authority, that on a former 
occasion the carriage of a 24-lb. cannon cost between 
,-150 and 200 sterling ; that of a 76 cwt. an 
,676 ; and that, when the Imperial Government 
sent out two vessels in frames, one of them, a brig, 
o>st the country in carriage, the short distance 
between these two cities, tho cnnrin r.i:; sui 
iy 3150,000. 

It is related that abo , Peter < 

wa ke.l from Cole s Feiv lie 

mail from Toronto on hi and pro- 

led through the woods to M mtrea!. At that 
place lie I the mail for Toronto (lii-.: accumu 

lation fcr. m th), it only weighing sixty pounds, 

and with this he trudged back to Kingston. The 



entire trip was made in fourteen days, and for the 
journey he received $15. At the present time, it 
requires several cars to transport the daily mail 
between the cities of Montreal and Toronto. 

Mr. Richard Holmes, of Kitley, informs us 
that the first stone house built in the United 
Counties, was erected by Ephraim Jones, below 
Maitland, previous to 1799. About that time there 
were two schools in the neighborhood one taught 
by the late Sheriff Sherwood, for the children of 
the half-pay officers, the other conducted by Price 
French, for the poor settlers. Even at that early 
day, Mr. Holmes declares that the children of the 
poor were the best scholars. 

Major Lemon, of Maitland, says that after Mrs. 
Butler declared that she saw a will-o -the-wisp in 
the yard near her husband s residence (the place is 
occupied by R. P. Cooke, Esq., Brockville), that no 
more bodies were interred there, the second ceme 
tery being selected near the fence which bounds 
the eastern side of the property now occupied by 
Mr. John Crawford. 

In 1783, John White, the great-grandfather of the 

piesent gaoler for the United Counties, and Asa 

Webster, father of P. B. Webster, came through the 

!s from Vermont, striking the St. Lawrence at 

Morristown. They made a raft, and crossed the 

r, examined the land in the vicinity, and then 

journeyed down th j river to Montreal. This was 

one year previous to the arrival of the first actual 

settlers. The next year they returned with their 

families. :r drew the land now owned 

by the son of the late Richard Dyre. Phineas 

Baldwin an:l Stephen Baldwin cam; a short time 

after and settled near Mr. Webster. The late E. 

. Collector of Customs at Brockville, was 

son of Mr. Asa Webster. 

Peter Seeley was one of the first manufacturers 
in the Johnstown District, at an early date, he and 
Caleb Seaman having commenced the manufacture 
of scythes, near the Tin Cap, Elizabethtown. Seeley 
afterwards removed to Brockville, where he entered 
into partnership with Daniel Jones, Esq. Jones was 
to furnish the iron, while Seeley was to do the work. 
On one occasion, the supply of iron was exhausted, 
\Y I :n S. .. !cv, with two men by the name of Knowl- 
t i i and Smiti red a small sloop, and started 

for Car! id, where a fort had been built, it 

; g.irris m 1 at th.it time by Brisish troops. 
of rum, with which they 

plie.l t l irrison. The 

result was that all th ! and casks bound with 

iron hoops w ked d->-,vn, and the iron given 

to Seeley, who so >n l->:\ .U i d his sloop, which ivtunied 
to Brockville. Seeley at <>ne time made a chain ten 



54 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



rods long, which was used for hauling saw-logs intc 
the mill back of Brockville. His wife blew the 
bellows and struck for him, while the job was under 
way. 

In 1812, Seeley was making ploughs at the Tin 
Cap, having young Lemon (Major Lemon) as an 
apprentice. When the Militia was called out, they 
both went to the front. 

The poplar trees, so frequently seen along the 
banks of the St. Lawrence, were originally planted 
by the French. The object was to mark the stop 
ping places selected by the first voyageurs, who at 
one time measured distances by saying, it is so 
many pipes meaning that a pipe could be smoked 
out a certain number of times in journeying from 
one point to another. 

Many are the versions that have been published 
concerning the unfortunate Jane McRae and her 
lover. We believe that the following will be found 
correct, having been furnished by a descendant of 
one of the parties most deeply interested : 

David Jones, a brother of Dr. Solomon Jones, one 
of the first settlers on the St. Lawrence, was the 
youth who fell in love with the beautiful daughter 
of the rebel McRae. The young lady was entrusted 
to a band of Indians, who were to conduct her to 
Fort Edward, at that time occupied by the King s 
troops. On their way, a quarrel broke out among 
them, which resulted in the death of the innocent 
girl. She was scalped, and her silken tresses taken 
to the fort, where they were immediately recognized 
by a young " Tory " lieutenant as those of his 
affianced bride. The lieutenant was David Jones, 
who afterwards removed to Canada, and, according 
to the testimony of the late Dunham Jones, was 
never seen to smile from that sad day. He did not 
long survive, but died a comparatively young man. 
His remains rest in the old burial ground on the 
banks of the St. Lawrence. The curious visitor to 
the historic ground around Fort Edward, N,Y., may 
be sure that the officious guide will not allow him 
to depart without first pointing out the old elm 
tree, with the spring beneath, which tradition fixes 
as the spot on which was perpetrated the murder of 
poor Jane McRae. 



CHAPTER XV. 

RKIJKI.LION LOSSKS ESTAIH.ISHMKNT OF DISTRICT 
AND CGUNTIKS C li-Ncn.s LIST OK WARDEN S 
FIRST WAKDI.X S ADDRESS. 

THE losses sustained by individuals during the 
Rebellion led to demands being made upon" the 
Government for compensation. During Lord Cath- 



cart s administration, a commission was issued to 
investigate the losses, and report upon the same. 
The report was but partially acted upon at the 
time, but so great was the pressure brought to bear 
upon the government, that, in 1849, the matter 
came before the Legislature for final settlement. 
The measure passed both Houses, and was assented 
to by Lord Elgin, in the Queen s name. The step 
led to demonstrations of violence in various parts 
of the Province. His Excellency was burned in 
effigy on Court House Square, Brockville, the black 
flag was hoisted on the bank of the river, while the 
defenders of the course pursued by the administra 
tion, were in many instances assailed and maltreated. 
The crowning act of violence was the burning of 
the Parliament Buildings in Montreal, while the 
Governor-General was pelted with stones by an 
infuriated mob. 

Until 1840, there was no municipal system in 
Canada. The large towns and cities were incor 
porated by special Acts, while to the Quarter 
Sessions, or Boards of Commissioners, was en 
trusted the management of local affairs, Parliament 
reserving the care of the principal roads, bridges, 
canals, and other important public works. 

In 1840, an Act was passed by the United Legis 
lature, establishing elective municipal councils in 
townships, counties, towns, and cities in Ontario. 

To the Councils were entrusted the management 
of all local affairs, the care of the public highways, 
regulations pertaining to taverns, markets, etc., with 
power to assess and collect taxes. In 1855, the 
municipal system was greatiy enlarged and im 
proved, which with subsequent changes contributed 
towards making it one of the most comprehensive 
municipal systems in the world. 

At first the Wardens were appointed by the 
Crown, but afterwards a change was made, grant 
ing power to the Council to choose one of its 
number to act as presiding officer. 

The following is the list of Wardens for the 
orporation of the District of Johnstown and the 
Counties of Leeds and Grenville : 

Hon. William Morris, appointed in 1842 

Hon. William Morris 1&43 

Ogle R. Gowan ^^ 

Richard F. Stcele ,g 4 j 

Ogle R. Gowan 1846 

Ogle R. < unvan t g,^ 

Ogle R. Cowan 1X48 

O^le R. Gowan 1849 

Ogle R. Gowan , 85O 

George Sherwood 1851 

Robert Peclen j8c 2 

Robert Peden 1853 

E. II. Whitmarsh 1854 

1C. II. Whitman,!) jg-r 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



55 



E. II. Whilmarsh 1856 

II. D. Jessup l8 57 

William Smith 1858 

II. D. Jessup 1859 

William Garvey iS6o 

William Garvey 1861 

William Garvey 1862 

James Keeler 863 

Hiram McCrea 1864 

James Keeler 186, 

D. Ford Jones S66 

Hiram McCrae 1867 

John Johnston 1868 

Reuben Fields 1869 

John Wolfe 1870 

Charles B. Crysler 1871 

Richard Preston 1872 

Hiram McCrea 1873 

J. K. Read 1874 

Stafford McBratney 1875 

John Dumbrille 1876 

Thomas Darling 1877 

E. II. Whitmarsh (appointed in June Session, in 
place of Mr. Darling, who resigned) 1877 

Joshua Legge 1878 

The following is the address delivered by the 
Hon. William Morris, the first Warden, to the 
members of the District Council, assembled for 
the first time : 

The District Council of the Johnstown District 
met, pursuant to the Statute entitled "An Act to 
Provide for the Internal Government of that Part 
of this Province Which Formerly Constituted the 
Province of Upper Canada, by the Establishment 
of Local or Municipal Authorities Therein," at the 
temporary Court House in the Town of Brockville, 
on Tuesday, the 8th day of February, 1842, at 12 
o clock noon. 

Present : 

HoxoK.uiLK WILLIAM MORRIS, Vi iirdfti. 

COUNCILLORS. 

John Holdcn, . Samuel J. Bellamy, 

Ogle R. Gowan, John Jelly, 

Martin Castleman, James Keeler, 

Lyman Clothier, Robert Kernahan, 

Jesse Delong, Walter H. Denaut, 

William Young, Robert Elliott. 

Robert Ferguson, William Johnston, 

Noah Halladay, William Jones, 

John Stewart, William Moulton, 

James Thomson, Duncan McTavish, 

James Shaw, Milo McCarger, 

John McEwen, John Pierce, 

Thomas Sheffield, John Thompson, 

Eleazer H. Whitmarsh. 

The Warden informed the Council that he had 
appointed James Jessup, Esquire, temporary Clerk, 
to whom he handed his Commission as Warden, 



which was read by the temporary Clerk, and is as 
follows : 



L.S. 



R. D. JACKSON, 
PROVINCE OF CAN AHA : 
I fCTOKfA, by the Grace of God, of the l ,,iled Kingdom of 
Great Britain and Ireland Qit.-en, Defender of the Faith, etc., 
etc., etc. 
To all to -.shorn these Presents shall come, Greeting: 

WHEREAS, in and by a certain Act of the Parliament ot our 
Province of Canada, passed in the Fourth and Fifth years of our 
Reign, entitled "An Act to Provide for the Better Internal Gov 
ernment of that Part of this Province Which Formerly Constituted 
the Province of Upper Canada, by the Establishment of Local or 
Municipal Authorities Therein," it is amongst other things in 
effect enacted that it shall be lawful for the Governor, Lieutenant- 
Governor, or person administering the government of our said 
Province, to appoint from time to time, as occasion may require, 
one fit and proper person to be Warden of and in each of the 
Districts of that part of our said Province formerly Upper Canada, 
for the purposes of the said Act to hold his office during our 
pleasure : 

No Know Ye, T/ierefore, That we, having full confidence in the 
loyalty, integrity, and ability of the Honorable William Morris, of 
the Town of Perth, in the District of Bathurst of our sail Province 
of Canada, have constituted and appointed, and do by these presents 
and by virtue of the power vested in us by the Act, constitute and 
appoint him, the said William Morris, to be our WARDEN of and 
in the District of Johnstown, of that part of our said Province 
formerly constituting Upper Canada ; to have, hold, exercise, and 
enjoy the rights, powers, and authorities by the said Act vested in 
the office of Warden of the said D:strict, together with all the 
privileges, advantages, and emoluments thereunto belonging, or in 
anywise appertaining, unto him, the said William Mjrris, during 
our Royal pleasure. 

In Testimony Whereof, we have caused these our Letters to be 
made Patent, and the Great Seal of our said Province o( Canada to 
be hereunto affixed. 

Irtliiess: Our trusty and well beloved SIR RICHARD DOWNES 
JACKSON, K. C. B., Administrator of the Government of our said 
Province of Canada, and Lieutenant-General Commanding our 
Forces in British North America, etc., etc., etc., at Kingston, this 
Twenty-third day of December, in the year of our Lord One 
Thousand Eight Hundred and Forty-one, and in the Fifth year of 
our Reign. 

By Command. R. D. J. 

P. B. HARRISON, SECRETARY. 

Recorded 71)1 Jan., 1842; Lib. A. A , Fol. 88. 

K. A. TUCKER, REGISTRAR. 

The Warden then delivered the following address 
to the Council: 

GENTI.F.MF..V, 

It is with much satisfaction that I see assembled 
before me so many respectable individuals to repre 
sent the inhabitants of the District of Johnstown as 
a Municipal Council, and I congratulate them on 
the wise and judicious use which they have in this 
respect already made of the new powers conferred 
on them by the Statute. 

It may be proper on the present occasion, being 
the first meeting of the Council of this populous 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



and wealthy District, that I should notice some of 
the changes occasioned by the amendmant of the 
laws, which, from an early period of the existence 
of this colon}-, required the performance by the 
magistrates in Quarter Sessions of certain important 
public duties. Among these was the power to raise 
local assessments for tiie building and rep;, 
court houses and gaols, for the payment of a gaoler s 
salary, and for the support of prisoners, a; well as 
for defraying the expense generally of the adminis 
tration of justice in the respective Districts. 

Any surplus of the District revenue, after making 
provision for those and other objects connected 
with the operations of the laws, the magistrates 
were authorized to expend in the building of 
bridges and in the repair of roads. 

Complaint had long been made in various parts 
of Upper Canada, whether justly or not, it is not 
necessary now to enquire, that the justices, in the 
expenditure of the District revenue, were not guided 
by that scrupulous regard for economy which, in 
the opinion of many, the interests of the people at 
large required at their hands ; and, consequently, 
that an inconsiderable portion of the monies of the 
Districts was laid out to improve the internal com 
munications. 

It was supposed that the only remedy for this 
and other alleged evils of a like nature, was to be 
found in some Legislative measure, which should 
transfer the fiscal affairs of each District from the 
superintendence of the Magistracy to the people 
themselves, by the establishment of municipal 
corporations possessing the power of extensive 
self-government. 

A measure of that nature, you are aware, passed 
the Provincial Parliament at the late session, and 
is now in force throughout the colony ; and you 
have met here this day, on behalf of the inhabitants 
of the Johnstown District, to discharge the duties 
and to perform the functions created by thai 
Statute. 

Whether the objection:; made to the manner in 
which the Justices of the Peace disposed of the 
District funds were well or ill-founded, I am led to 
believe that they will regard with much satisfaction 
the relief which the Municipal Act affords them in 
that respect, for no part of their public duty Was felt 
to be so onerous and so obnoxious to anini. 
And I may venture to add that no class of the com 
munity will see with more pleasure any improvement 
that may be made by the Municipal Councils in the 
financial condition of the several Districts. 

The Justices will henceforward be left in the ex 
ercise of their own legitimate authority to administer 
the laws for the preservation of the public peace for 



the security of life, liberty and property unembar 
rassed by the perplexing care of public money, its 
collection and expenditure. Whilst you, on behalf 
of the whole body of the people in their corporate 
capacity, shall meet here quarterly to deliberate on 
the best means of promoting the improvement, 
wealth and prosperity of the District. 

To do this you arc supported by powers which no 
one can dispute. As a Corporation invested with 
lawiul authority, you may not only at once assume 
the management of the several matters ; the charge 
of which I have just explained has been removed 
from the Justices to you. But you are now at liberty 
to consider and legislate on many other important 
subjects which the Magistrates in Quarter Sessions 
had no control over. 

The Municipal Act not only places at your dis 
posal the present assessments of the Districts, but to 
enable you to exercise a rigid supervision over every 
department of expenditure ; you are wisely assisted 
by two disinterested accountants or auditors, who, 
under the solemn obligation of an oath, will be 
bound to examine with the strictest scrutiny every 
charge brought against the public for services per 
formed or materials furnished. 

And besides, the care bestowed by the Legislature 
in providing a wholesome check to the possibility of 
waste or fraud on the part of any District officer, it 
is now impossible to embark in any improvement, 
the ultimate cost of which, as in too many instances 
in their own knowledge may be determined by 
chance, for the law not only guarantees that all 
public works shall be well done under the superin- 
tendance of the District Surveyor, whose qualifi 
cations must be ascertained on examination by the 
Board of Works. But it declares that you shall not 
pass a By-law for performing any public work with 
out having first received an estimate of the cost 
thereof, prepared, or examined and reported upon 
by the District Surveyor, and after all these pre 
cautions to secure the interests of the public, the 
work can only be executed under a written contract 
in conformity with such regulations as shall from 
time to time be made by the Board of Works. 

The establishment of these necessary and prudent 
r .relations for the economical collection and expen 
diture of the District revenue, as well as for the 
proper performance of the labor bestowed in making 
and maintaining the public highways and bridges, 
cannot fail to meet the approbation of the whole 
community where once the system is brought into 
full operation, and when the working of it has 
become familiar to the people at large. 

That you, gentlemen, will honestly and anxiously 
clo your utmost endeavor to secure the people whom 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



57 



you represent all the advantages which the Munici 
pal Act is intended and expected to afford, I can 
not doubt, and great as these advantages may be, 
extending as they must the blessings of civil and 
religious liberty, with peace, confidence and content 
ment throughout the land. It is only by a faithful 
performance of your duty in carrying out in their 
true sense and spirit the provisions of the law that 
any of these important blessings need be looked for. 
If the people of this part of the Province have at 
any time had reason to complain of the manner in 
which the magistracy disbursed the District revenue, 
you have now an opportunity of improving the 
former system and of removing all real cause of 
dissatisfaction on that head. 

The extensive scope of the statute which called 
this Council into existence, and the powers with 
which you are clothed in promoting education, by 
another act of the same session, will give you ample 
opportunity to suggest and mature measures for 
the amelioration of the condition of your fellow 
subjects. If, under the authority of these laws, 
conferring privileges and powers greater than ever 
were possessed by British colonists before, we fail 
to realize the expectations of the people and the 
hopes of a benign government, which has embraced, 
with parental solicitude, every opportunity to protect 
and cherish us, the fault must lie with ourselves ; 
and a remedy for the evils which have of late years 
afflicted this once happy people, can alone be looked 
for, under the Divine blessing, in the good example 
which you and other persons in authority set before 
them, and in your endeavors to frame such wise and 
wholesome by-laws as may ensure to all classes of 
the community the benefits of a sound moral and 
religious education. 

Besides numerous other duties which will devolve 
on the Council in the cause of your deliberations, 
the more special power entrusted to you by the 
Statute will be understood by consulting the 39th 
Section of it ; and this gives me the opportunity of 
adverting to the groundless fears of many individuals 
respecting your authority to levy assessments for the 
various objects specified in that clause. 

Any alarm that may have been felt that you would 
impose oppressive burthens on the inhabitants must 
upon a moment s reflection, appear to be needless. 
For what motive could induce you to injure tlmsc 
whose prosperity and welfare, as well as your own, 
you are sent here to promote? And, if it is their 
desire that no other assessments shall for the 
present be made than the existing laws direct, no 
doubt you wjll consult their wishes in that respect ; 
on the contrary, if the people of any township or 
neighborhood apply to you for authority to make 



some public improvement by local assessment, you 
will as readily comply with their request. 

The corrective, could you be supposed capable of 
enacting by-laws injurious to the true interests of 
the county, is possessed by the people themselves, 
to the fullest extent, for in such circumstances, they 
would undoubtedly resort with promptitude to their 
annual constitutional check upon the municipal 
council. 

Should it appear to you expedient to continue 
the ancient method of performing statute labor on 
the highways, rather than direct a rate of commuta 
tion to be paid in money, permitted, as you are, by 
the Statute to adopt either mode, I am persuaded 
you will not think of any important alteration in a 
matter in which every one has a direct personal 
interest, without first ascertaining the opinion of 
your constituents, so that their concern in that 
respect need no longer exist. 

It ought not to create wonder that the provisions 
of the Act in question, as well as those of other 
Statutes lately passed, should be but imperfectly 
understood, and that in the discussion of the various 
requirements and duties which they enjoin, misap 
prehension has existed. A wise discretion on your 
part, in carrying those laws into operation will soon 
quiet the fears of the misinformed, and command the 
support and approbation of every well-wisher of his 
country ; and I take this opportunity to assure you 
that as long as I have the honor to hold the office of 
Warden of this District, I shall not cease to exert 
every faculty of my mind in assisting you to dis 
charge those high obligations to your country which 
devolve upon you, and which, if zealously and pru 
dently performed, will not only redound to your 
own honor, but will confer lasting happiness on the 
whole body of the people. 

The first proceeding to which you are directed by 
the Statute is the nomination of three fit and proper 
persons to be submitted to His Excellency the 
Governor-General, one of whom will be appointed 
District Clerk. It is therefore important that you 
name persons who are well qualified by respectability 
of character, intelligence, industrious habits, and 
suitable education ; for without the aid of such an 
individual as Clerk of this Council, the public 
business cannot be satisfactorily carried on. 

I would draw your early attention to the provisions 
of the Common School Act, with the view of dividing 
tin- several townships into convenient school districts 
and of taking such steps as you may deem advisable 
to secure to the inhabitants of the District generally 
a due proportion of the funds provided by the 
Legislature for the encouragement of education. 

This subiect, of all others, is important to the well 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



being of society, and about the necessity of which 
there can scarcely be a diversity of opinion, I trust, 
will be met on your part with enlarged views and a 
liberal policy. If you would educate the people, 
you must raise the standard of qualification on the 
part of the teachers, and this can only be done by 
making more ample provision for their support. 
No master of suitable education and respectable 
character, unless afflicted by bodily infirmity, would 
ever think of continuing in charge of a common 
school in this colony, dependant on the humiliating 
maintenance which, up to this period, has been so 
sparingly dealt to him. 

I will probably submit to your consideration, 
before the close of the session, my sentiments on 
the subject of a Provincial Normal Seminary, for 
the education and supply of Common School 
masters, to the end that the attention of the 
Government may be directed to the establishment 
of such an institution. 

You will have observed that a census of the 
inhabitants of the Province, and other extensive 
and useful statistical information, is required, by 
an Act of the Legislature, to be taken by the 
Assessors during the current year. I received from 
the Government office, a short time ago, the 
schedules for that purpose, but, as they require 
to be greatly enlarged, and fearing that the 
Assessors would not be able, from want of a 
proper description of paper and the necessary con 
venience, to make such alterations, I directed the 
acting Clerk to enlarge the rolls according to the 
population of the respective townships, trusting to 
your approval of this, and relying on your readiness 
to provide for the expense incurred thereby. 

It is essential that you should adopt a code of 
rules for your guidance in conducting the public 
business, and to preserve order and decorum in all 
your deliberations ; and if what I have prepared for 
that purpose shall be found of service in assisting 
you to frame such regulations, it will give me 
satisfaction. 

Mr. Shaw moved, seconded by Mr. Denaut, That 
the Warden be requested to furnish the Council 
with a copy of his address delivered at the opening 
of this the first session held under the Municipal 
Act, and that the same be entered on the minutes 
which was carried unanimously. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

QUARTER SESSIONS COURTS OK REQUEST 
EXTRACTS. 

BY an Act passed during the First Session of the 
First Parliament, 1792, the District of Lunenburg 
was changed into the Eastern District, and provision 



made for the erection of a court house and gaol, at 
New Johnstown, in the Township of Edwardsburg. 
An Act was also passed for the more easy and 
speedy recovery of small debts, making it lawful 
for any two or more Justices of the Peace, acting 
under His Majesty s commission, to assemble and 
hold a Court of Justice, to be called the 

COURT OF REQUEST. 

This Court was to be held on the first and third 
Saturday of every month, at some place fixed by 
the Justices assembled in Quarter Sessions. The 
members of the Court, designated as Commissioners, 
had power to administer oaths, give judgment, and 
issue executions The jurisdiction of the Court 
only extended to forty shillings, hence the tribunal 
in time became known as " The Forty Shillings 
Court." Afterwards the sum was increased to ten 
pounds. The Act came into force in 1792 ; March 
the 22nd, 1816, the jurisdiction was extended to 5, 
being further increased to 10 March 4th, 1837, 
but was finally repealed August 27th, 1841, when the 
Courts of Request were succeeded by the establish 
ment of Division Courts. 

The Magistrates in Quarter Sessions procured 
the necessary plans, and proceeded to contract for 
the erection of the court house and gaol at Johns 
town. Unfortunately, no proceedings of the Sessions 
are extant from an earlier date than 1800. 

The Court assembled at Johnstown, April 22nd, 
1800, and consisted of the following gentlemen : 
Hon. Solomon Jones, Ephraim Jones, Joel Stone, 
William Fraser and Hugh Munroe. One of the 
first acts was to appoint Oliver Evits, High Con 
stable. 

Abel Stevens, an elder of the Baptist Church, 
and the first settler of the Township of Bastard, ap 
peared before the Court and asked permission to 
solemnize marriages. 

At the Sessions in 1801, Joel Stone applied for 
leave to establish a bridge or ferry at Cadanocqui, 
(Gananoque), and charge toll. The request was 
granted, and the following tariff adopted : One 
horse and one man, one shilling; one man, three 
pence ; one boat load, one shilling and six pence. 
In 1802, the ferry appears to have passed into the 
hands of Silas Person, the charges being also ad 
vanced. 

The following is a record of the public money as 
signed by the Justices to the respective Municipal 
ities : 

*. I- 

Eclwardsburg, 1798 9 4 4 

1/99 l6 J 3 9 

" 1800 , 14 9 i 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



59 



* 

Augusta, 1798 SO 15 0% 

1799 5 5 A 

1800 43 J S ", 4 

Elizabethtown, 1798 19 1 1 o 

" 1799 2 3 4 6 

1800 23 4 6 

Yonge, 1795 12 7 4 

" 1796 17 12 8 

" 1797 ii 18 6# 

" 1798 14 12 5 

" 1800 14 13 o 

Bastard and Kitley, 1799 4 16 o 

" 1800 4 5 6 

Cornwall, 1799 25 10 5 

Matilda, 1799 15 7 f>yi 

During the Session of 1801, accounts were pre 
sented by Samuel Sherwood and William Buell for 
^30 each, being pay for services as representatives in 
the first session of the Third Provincial Parliament. 
An order was made that the sums specified be col 
lected from the freeholders of Leeds and Grenville, 
respectively. If present members of parliament 
were compelled to collect their sessionarallowances 
from the freeholders, whom they represent, they 
would, in all probability, attend with greater care to 
the affairs of the country and less to party success. 
Happily, at that time party rancour and spleen were 
unknown, all laboring for the good of the common 
country. 

During 1801, it was ordered by the Sessions that a 
Court of Request be held in the following divi 
sions : 

First Division. Edwardsburg, including Johns 
town and such part of the settlement on the River 
Nation as is within the District. 

Second Division. Augusta. 

Third Division. Marlborough, Wolford, Mon 
tague and Oxford. 

Fourth Division. Elizabethtown, Yonge, Front of 
Leeds and Front of Lansdowne. 

Fifth Division. Bastard, Kitley, Rear of Leeds 
and Rear of Lansdowne. 

At the same Session a ferry was established in 
Edwardsburg between the houses of James Chambers 
and John Tebbits, on the opposite shore. 

In 1803, the following gentlemen were appointed 
magistrates : Thos. Fraser, James Breakenridge, 
Edward Jessup, Wm. Fraser, Truman Hicock. 
Charles Jones was also appointed Treasurer of the 
District. 

In 1804, the total expense of maintaining the Gaol, 
including firewood, Gaoler s salary and provisions 
for prisoners, was only 12 y. dti. 

The original Gaol at Johnstown for many years 
was without even a high fence around it, while the 



"strong room" only differed from those in ordinary 
use in having grates on the windows. 

In 1805, the criminals had become of such a char 
acter that it was found necessary to spike oik plank 
upon the ceiling and sides of the room, and in conse 
quence of the growing responsibility of his office, 
the pay of the Gaoler was increased te ^30 per 
annum. 

During the year 1806, the first grant was made 
for the construction of a bridge at Gananoque, ^75 
being considered sufficient at that time, but that 
was previous to the era of special committees, 
drawing $6 per day for services. 

The Court House at Johnstown being situated at 
a considerable distance from the centre of the 
District, it was decided to have a new one built in 
Brockville. The necessary Act was passed by the 
Legislature, and, in 1808, a committee was appointed 
to select a site, the situation being limited to a 
choice in the First Concession of Elizabethtown, 
lots 10, n, and 12. Subscriptions were taken to 
assist the undertaking, Charles Jones acting as 
collector. The committee appointed to select the 
site consisted of the following gentlemen : Solomon 
Jones, Thomas Smythe, Joel Stone, Thomas Fraser, 
and Stephen Washburn. Charles Jones obtained 
the contract for building the Court House, the land 
being secured from William Buell. 

The record for 1810 demonstrates that the 
punishment of olden time was in vogue in the 
District. A well known citizen, having at present 
many descendants in the Counties, was put in the 
pillory for two days in succession, and, while thus 
publicly exposed, had attached to his forehead a 
paper upon which was written the name of the 
crime he had committed. 

The following magistrates were (1810) designated 
by the Sessions to issue summons for the Courts of 
Request, in the following Divisions : 

Edwardsburg and South Gower : Thomas Fraser, 
Gideon Adams, and Hugh Munroe. 

Augusta : Edward Jessup, Ephraim Jones, Solomon 
Smythe, and Richard Arnold. 

Elizabethtown : Daniel Jones, Thomas Sherwood, 
Thos. Smythe, James Breakenridge, Samuel Wright, 
and Henry Arnold. 

Montague, Oxford, Wolford, and Marlborough : 
Stephen Burritt and Daniel Burritt. 

From Front to Sixth Concession of Yonge and 
Front of Leeds and Lansdowne : Thomas Smythe 
and Henry Bogart. 

Rear of Leeds, Bastard, Crosby, and Rear of Lans 
downe : Truman Hicock, Stephen Washburn, Seth 
Warren, Uri Scovill, Benjamin Lyman, and Philip 
Phillips. 



6o 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



William Fraser, Sheriff, was authorized by the 
Sessions to remove the prisoners from the gaol at 
Johnstown, to the new Court House at Brockville, 
on the loth or nth of September, 18/0. Mr. James 
Powell, of Brockville, informs us that a strong party 
in the eastern part of the District was opposed to 
the removal, and laboring under the impression that 
no legally constituted Court could be held without 
the Court of Arms, determined to resist its removal 
by force. By some stratagem, the coveted ensignia 
was secured by the Brockville representatives, but 
it was discovered by their opponents. The result 
was a hand to hand struggle for possession, which 
terminated in a victory for the party representing 
the new Court House. During the mclce, the Court 
of Arms was torn in the corner, but afterwards 
repaired. The same painting yet graces the wall 
above the Judge s seat in the present Court House. 

The first Quarter Sessions held at Brockville 
assembled at the Court House, on Tuesday, Nov. 
13, 1811. 

An examination of the records fully accounts for 
the peculiar name by which Brockville was originally 
known, viz.: " Snarlingtown." A great number of 
prominent citizens were engaged in personal alter 
cations, which genearlly terminated in a law suit 
before the Quarter Sessions. 

In 1817. the Justices of the Session first drew pay 
for their attendance, and it is a significant fact, 
that, during the same session, the Treasurer was 
authorized to borrow ,500. Since that date, the 
representatives of the Counties have not only 
advanced the daily remuneration from four shillings 
to three dollars, but have succeeded in augmenting 
the debt in like proportion. 

At an early period, the Collectors were authorized 
to collect the taxes from a valuation of the personal 
property, the land being specially designated as 
exempt. Such a course was pursued in reference 
to the Townships of Drummond, Bathurst, and 
Burgess. 

By an Act passed in the Second Session of the 
Provincial Parliament (1793), it was provided that 
any two Justices of the Peace could issue their war 
rants, giving eight days notice to the constable of 
the parish, township, or reputed township, authoriz 
ing the constable to assemble the inhabitant house 
holders, paying, or those liable to pay, any public 
assessment, at some convenient place within the 
parish or township, for the purpose of choosing or 
nominating the parish or township officers. After 
the year 1793, the meeting was to be called on the 
first Monday in March. The officers to be elected 
were a Town Clerk, two Assessors, a Collector, not 
less than two, nor more than six Overseers of 



Highways, one or more Pound-keepers ; and also to 
choose two discreet persons to serve the office of 
Town Wardens, but it was provided, when a church 
was built for Divine service (Church of England) 
with a parson or minister appointed thereto, then 
the inhabitants were to choose one Warden, and 
the parson or minister to nominate the other. The 
constable who was authorized to preside at the 
meeting, furnished the Justices with a list of the 
officers chosen, and they were duly installed by 
taking the oaths of office prescribed. No provision 
was made as to the manner of deciding between the 
claims of rival candidates, hence, we are led to infer, 
that a show of hands decided the matter, thus, in 
the wilds of Canada, repeating the system adopted 
in the halcyon days of the Grecian Republics. 

Some confusion grew out of different Justices 
appointing different places for holding the town 
meeting, and, to prevent confusion, the Justices, in 
Sessions assembled, passed a resolution, making the 
first call valid. When disputes arose, they were 
settled by the Sessions. 

The first Coroner mentioned in the minutes is 
Oliver Evertts, of Augusta. 

In 1819, the following scale of prices, for the 
ferries at Brockville and Prescott, was adopted : 

BROCKVILLE. 

Each person : One shilling and sixpence. 
Horse or Ox : Three shillings and sixpence. 
Carriage : One shilling and threepence. 

PRESCOTT, 

Each person : One shilling. 

Horse or Ox : Two shillings and sixpence. 

Carriage : One shilling. 

Such prices, in 1878, would soon make our ferry 
men millionaries. 

In 1820, a difficulty arose in reference to the town 
officers of Elizabethtown, when the following were 
appointed by the Sessions : 

Jonathan Fulford, Clerk and Assessor. 

Samuel Raymond, Assessor and Collector. 

For North and South Crosby, the following 
appointments were also made : 

Chapman Pennock, Clerk and Assessor. 

George Delong, Assessor. 

Joseph Merriman, Collector. 

In the same year, the following rule was made 
for the guidance of the gaolor : 

lie was commanded to go twice during the day 
to any part of the village, at the hours of 10 A, M. 
and 2 r. M., to carry any message sent by prisoners 
confined in the gaol. In case of sickness, he was to 
go at any time, day or night. The remuneration 
was 250.. to be paid by the prisoner. 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 




Were the regulation in force at the present time, 
we fear the present genial gaolor would soon be 
worn down to a skeleton. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

THE REAR OF LEEDS AND LANSDOWNE. 

THIS Township was originally settled by lumbermen, 
who were attracted to that quarter by the large 
quantity of pine and other valuable timber, found 
in close proximity to the stream whose outlet is the 
Gananoque River. At an early date, spars and 
masts of great value were cut and taken to Ganan 
oque, where the firm of C. & J. McDonald had 
established a market. 

The erection of an iron furnace at Furnace Falls 
gave an impetus to the settlement, which was sub 
sequently increased by the erection of flouring and 
lumber mills at the same place. The completion of 
the Rideau Canal, touching the municipality at 
Seeley s Bay, laid the foundation of agricultural 
prosperity, by furnishing an outlet for produce, 
and, at the same time, enhancing the value of 
lumber, by opening, through Kingston, the American 
market. 

In 1816, the Rev. William Smart furnished the 
following report, in answer to a series of questions 
addressed to the several townships of the Province : 

LEEDS. 

Settled in 1786 (Front Part.) Land selling at $2 
per acre. The iron works in a state of ruin. 

The following list contains all the patents granted 
in Leeds, up to the 3151 Dec., 1802 : 



TOWNSHIP OF LEEDS. 


d 

: 
U 


Lot. 


Name of Grantee. 


Part of Lot. 


U 

< 


Date of Patent. 


I 


,} 


Christopher Fornyea I 


El-2 l 

W 1-2 j 




April I4th, 1798 
Aug. loth, 1801 




3 




E 1-2 


ifii 






4 




W 1-2 








7 


Robert Macauley 


All 


2<)0 


Dec. 3lst, 1798 




8 


\\ illiam SherilT. ... . 


W 1-2 


iiS 






8 
9 


Joel Stone 


E 1-2 

Pt 


200 


June 30th, 1801 
May 1 7th, 1802 


Sir John Johnson. . . . 




10 


Sir John Johnson.. .. 


Pt 




May 1 7th, 1802 




U 


Sir John Johnson.. .. 


Pt 




May 1 7th, 1802 




12 


Sir John Johnson 


rt 




May 1 7th, 1802 




>3 

14 15 

16 


Sir John Johnson. . . . 
Sir John Johnson. . . . 
Neil McMullan 


Pt 

All 
All 




May 1 7th, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 




19 


Joel Stone 


Ft 






7 


4 




W 1-2 




A 1 J t 




7 


Robert Macauley 


All 


200 


Dec. 3ist, 1798 




8 


Sir John Johnson 


S 1-2 




May 1 7th, 1802 




10 


Sir John Johnson 


S 1-2 




May I7th, 1802 




17 


1 )avi<l Reel 


All 








20 


[ohn 1 ,eahy 


W 1-2 






T, 


3 


Mary C line .... 


All 








13 


Patrick McDonald. . . 


All 


200 


April 6th, 1797 




15 


Tohn Hall 


All 


2OO 






17 


[acub Farranrl 


All 








22 


Michael Cook 


W !--> 


IOO 




6 


23 


Abel Kulford 


All 


200 


Dec. 1st, 1802 



BIOGRAPHICAL. 

DOCTOR JAMES SCHOFIELD. 

Doctor James Schofield, born in Connecticut, U.S., 
(father of the late Major Ira Schofield, James 
Schofield, Esq., and Doctor Peter Schofield), came 
into Canada with his son, Ira Schofield, in 1795, and 
immediately built an iron forge at Furnace Falls, 
where he manufactured the first iron made in Upper 
Canada. 

When the war of 1812 broke out, Captain Ira 
Schofield was at once called out with his company 
and stationed at Gananoque, and afterwards at 
Prescott. His father, Doctor James Schofield, 
served in the force as a physician and surgeon ; 
James Schofield being at the same time employed in 
the Commissary Department at Cornwall. 

Doctor Peter Schofield came to Canada in the 
year 1800, remaining a few years, and returning to 
New York, where^he became a member of the 
College of Physicians and Surgeons of that State. 
When the war of 1812 broke out, he was appointed 
a surgeon in the U. S. army. At the close of the 
war he removed to the County of Leeds, where he 
settled and remained until his death in May, 1860. 
He was appointed Justice of the Peace and a mem 
ber of the Commissioner s Court. In June, 1828, he 
called a public meeting and delivered an address 
upon Temperance at the close of the lecture organ 
izing a Temperance Society (the first in the Dominion 
of Canada.) 

RECOLLECTIONS OF HIEL SLITER, ESQ. 
Mr. Sliter was born in the State of Vermont, on 
the i3th of January, 1795, * n tne County of Rutland. 
In 1801, his father left his family in Vermont and 
visited Upper Canada, in consequence of the pro 
clamation of Governor Simcoe, which contained an 
offer of a free grant of 200 acres to each United 
Empire Loyalist. Returning to Vermont, he 
obtained a yolk of oxen, built a large sleigh, upon 
which were placed his family and household effects, 
and with this conveyance started for Canada. The 
trip occupied nearly five weeks. When Mr. Sliter 
settled in the Rear of Leeds, the nearest store was 
kept by Daniel Jones, where Brockville now stands. 
The place was known at that time as Snarlingtown. 
Mr. Jones had a small store and also a mill. In 
answer to the question, "How did you live?" Mr. 
Sliter says " This is easier to ask than to answer." 
When we had no tea, we procured a substitute 
in wintergreen sage, or burned corn coffee. One of 
our greatest difficulties was the grinding of the 
corn. We were compelled to construct a mill 
similar to that described in the memoir of Sheriff 
Sherwood. 



62 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



About the year 1800, a company was formed and a 
furnace built for the manufacture of iron at Furnace 
Falls, (Lyndhurst). This was probably the first iron 
furnace set up in the Province. It was an old- 
fashioned " Blast Furnace," in connection with which 
there was a " forge" for the manufacture of bar 
iron. The ore was of inferior quality and had to be 
drawn a considerable distance, consequently the en 
terprise was not a financial success, being abandoned 
after two years trial. At one time an attempt was 
made to cast hollow ware for .he use of the settlers, 
including pots and kettles, but proved a complete 
failure. 

Soon after a grist mill was built in the Township 
of Bastard, at a place called Beverly, (Delta), which 
proved of incalculable benefit to the early settlers 
and put an end to the use of "stump mills." 

At that time there were about seven families 
between what is now Lyndhurst and Seeley s Bay ; 
then unbroken woods for 18 miles to Kingston Mills. 
Mr. Sliter s opportunities for obtaining an edu 
cation were of the most meagre character. He did 
not attend school until after he was fifteen years of 
age, and then only one month, to learn to write. 
No regular school was held. Those anxious to learn 
met at the settler s cabins in the evening, selected 
the best qualified as teacher and proceeded to 
business. Mr. Sliter says: "We all learned some 
thing, "where there s a will there s a way." 

"In 1803, I went to Gananoque with my father. 
At that time there were three houses in the village. 
In 1809, more settlers arrived and the county roads 
were somewhat improved." 

We give the following in the words of Mr. Sliter : 
"The implements used in those days would astonish 
our present farmers. The bull-plough, heavy grub 
hoe, flail and hand fan, were in constant use. The 
absence of schools and religious services of any kind 
led to a non-observence of the Sabbath day, which 
was increased by the iron furnaces, having of 
neceessity to be kept going on Sunday, as well as any 
other day. In fact, the fire was only extinguished 
four times during the year. 

Lumbering was carried on extensively, the outlet 
being the Gananoque River ; the principal business 
men engaged were the McDonald s of Gananoque. 

Trapping in the spring and fall was quite remune 
rative ; large numbers of fishers, muskrat, otter 
and pine martin were secured. The deer were very 
plentiful, and not only furnished food but also 
clothing for the new settlers. Dresses made from 
deer skin were quite common and presented a neat 
appearance, when dyed blue from the bark of the 
soft maple. 

I well remember making my harness from bark, 



peeled from a hickory tree. The first wheeled con 
veyance in the Township was made by taking a 
narrow cut, off the end of a large log, thus forming 
the wheels. Manufactured articles could not be ob 
tained at a nearer point than Kingston. The prices 
were as follows : Cotton, 4 oc. per yard ; prints, from 
60 to yoc. ; nails, 2^c. per Ib. 

For a long time money was very scarce, but with 
the war of 1812, came a large expenditure of English 
coin. Prices immediately advanced ; oxen brought 
$150 ; cows, $40 ; flour, $20 per bbl. : pork, $40 per 
bbl. ; salt was at one time very scarce and sold as 
high as $50 per bbl. I have seen it retailed at SQC. 
per quart. 

In September, 1812, I joined a rifle company 
and entered upon duty at Gananoque. While in 
charge of the Block House, at that place, I learned 
the multiplication table. As no slates were to be 
had, my companion and myself obtained some 
chalk, and by using the top of the stove as a slate, 
succeeded in mastering the simple -rules of arith 
metic. 

In 1813, my father hired as a substitute in the 
Flank Company of Fitzgibbon at Prescott, for six 
months, receiving for his pay $100 and the govern 
ment allowance. He was placed in the Engineering 
Department, and complaining of the number of 
canteens too near the works, was ordered by the 
commander to clear the ground for a certain dis 
tance. For many years after the vacant space was 
known in Prescott as " Sliter s Plot." On his return 
he built a bridge at Lyndhurst. He next rented a 
saw mill, which had been erected at Marble Rock, 
and engaged in speculations in which he lost his 
property." 

CHURCHES. 

TRINITY CHURCH, LANSDOWNE, ANGLICAN. 
This church was built by subscription, in 1848; 
has real estate attached to the extent of three acres. 
Average congregation, 100. Officiating clergyman, 
the Rev. Mr. Osborne. 

SAINT JOHN S CHURCH, LEEDS, ANGLICAN. 

Built by subscription, in 1849 an d 185, chiefly 
through the exertion of the late Edward Green, 
Esq. Subsequently, Mrs. Green (relict of Mr. Green) 
bequeathed to the church fifty acres of valuable 
land, which has since been sold, realizing a hand 
some sum. Average attendance, 120. 

THE ENGLISH CHURCH, SEELEY S BAY. 

This church was built by subscription, the Rev. 
A. H. Coleman being the principal promoter of the 
undertaking. Opened for Divine service, Sunday, 
April 27th, 1878. The edifice is substantial and 




w 

(0 



w 

Q 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



finished with elegance, reflecting great credit upon 
its congregation. Clergyman, Rev. Mr. Osborne. 

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH, LEEDS. 
Elder Stevens, Jr., a young man of the Township 
of Bastard, was instrumental in organizing the 
Church, which at first consisted of eighteen mem 
bers. For some time, it constituted a branch of the 
Baptist Church at Gananoque. At a very early 
date, Dr. Peter Schofield, in conjunction with Mr. 
Stevens, officiated as Pastor. From 1835 to 1850, 
the membership averaged 50. In 1848, a church 
was erected on part of Lot No, 13. in the 8th Con 
cession of Leeds. Recently, the congregation has 
been materially diminished in numbers. 

M. E. CHURCH, LYXDHURST. 

This church was established in 1843. Average 
attendance, 80. Wooden building, in a good state 
of repair. 

MOUNT PLEASANT M. E. CHURCH. 
New building, erected in 1877 ; situated on rear 
of Lot No. 1 1, in the nth Concession of Lansdowne. 
The congregation was organized in 1843, by the late 
Philander Smith, D. D. Congregation, about 45 ; 
Rev. H. I. Allan, Pastor. 

The members of the M. E. Church are at present 
erecting a new church in Leeds, having the neces 
sary expenses nearly provided for. 

PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 

A new church has been completed on the 
Gananoque Road, near the residence of John 
Bracken, Esq. Handsome wooden building ; 
congregation in a flourishing condition. 

In 1877, an Agricultural Association was estab 
lished at Lyndhurst, Henry Green, Esq., donating 
the grounds. Buildings have been erected, and 
the Society, through the exertions of J. C. Stafford, 
Esq., and E. C. Sliter, Esq., is in a flourishing 
condition. 

The following is the assessment of the Township 
for the year 1877 : 

Total number assessed, 571. 

Acres assessed, 42,456. 

Acres cleared, 15,697. 

Value of Real Property, $540,946. 

Taxable Incomes, $400. 

Value of Personal Property, $66,505. 

Taxes imposed by Municipality, $1,200. 

Taxes imposed by Counties, $1,353. 

Seeley s Bay and Lyndhurst are both nourishing 
villages, and rapidly increasing in wealth and popu 
lation. At the latter place, Henry Green, Esq., and 
John Roddick, both carry on an extensive milling 
business. 



COPELAND S HOTEL. 

Mr. R. \V. Copeland, has recently erected at 
Lyndhurst, one of the most substantial hotels in the 
back country. The building is of brick, and pre 
sents a very fine appearance. The proprietor is an 
experienced landlord, and therefore fitted to dis 
charge his duties to the satisfaction of the general 
public. Mr. Copeland is also proprietor of the 
daily stage line connecting Brockville with West- 
port. Comfortable vehicles are despatched each 
morning for the conveyance of passengers. The 
line connects at Newboro with the stage route to 
Kingston, and at Westport with the stages for 
Perth. (See view.) 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

ANCIENT DIVISIONS MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT. 

BY an Act promulgated by proclamation in the year 
1800, the following division of the Province was 
made : 

The County of Grenville comprised the Townships 
of Edw ardsburg, Augusta, Wolford, Oxford, Marl- 
borough, Montague, North and South Gower. 

The County of Leeds: Elizabethtown, Yonge, 
(Escott), Lansdowne, Leeds, Crosby, Bastard, 
Burgess, Elmsley and Kitley. 

At that date the District of Johnston included 
Leeds and Grenville, as well as Carleton, and for 
many years the Justices in Session appointed the 
Constables for the latter county. The union was 
repealed 2nd Geo. IV., c. 5. 

NAMES OF MEMBERS RETURNED TO SERVE IN THE 

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY, FOR LEEDS 

AND GRENYII.LE. 

First Provincial Parliament, U. C., 1792. 
Leeds. Grciirillc. 

Second Parliament, 1797. 

Third Parliament, iSor. 
William Buell. Samuel Sherwood. 

Fourth Parliament, 1805. 
Peter Howard. Samuel Sherwoo 1. 

Fifth Parliament. 1809, 

Sixth Parliament, 1810. 

Seventh Parliament, 1817. 
Jonas Jones. Peter Howard. 

Eighth Parliament, 1821, 
LevidS P. Sherwood, Walter F. Gates, 
Charles Jones. Jonas Jones. 



6 4 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



Leeds. Grenville. 

Ninth Parliament, 1825-6. 
Charles Jones, Jonas Jones, 

David Jones. Hamilton Walker. 

Tenth Parliament, 1829. 
William Buell, Jr. 

Eleventh Parliament, 1831. 
William Buell, Jr., Richard D. Fraser, 

Matthew H. Howard. Edward Jessup. 

Twelfth Parliament, 1835. 
Ogle R. Gowan, Hiram Norton, 

Robert S. Jameson. William B. Wells. 

Thirteenth Parliament, 1836-7. 
Jonas Jones, Hiram Norton, 

Ogle R. Gowan. William B. Wells. 

First Canadian Parliament, 1841. 
James Morris. Samuel Crane. 

Second Parliament, 1844-5. 
Ogle R. Gowan. Hamilton D. Jessup. 

Third Parliament, 1848. 
William B. Richards. Read Burritt. 

Fourth Parliament, 1852-3. 
William B. Richards. William Patrick. 

Fifth Parliament, 1854-5 

Leeds and Grenville (North), Basil R. Church. 
Leeds (South), Jessie Delong. 
Grenville (South), William Patrick. 

Sixth Parliament, 1858. 

Leeds and Grenvillle (North), Basil R. Church. 
Leeds (South), Benjamin Tett. 
Grenville, William Patrick. 

Seventh Parliament, 1862. 
Leeds and Grenville (North), Francis Jones. 
Leeds. (South), Benjamin Tett. 
Grenville, William Patrick. 

Eighth Parliament, 1863. 
Leeds and Grenville (North), Francis Jones. 
Leeds (South), Albert N. Richards. 
Grenville, Walter Shanley. 

First Dominion Parliament, 1867-8. 
Leeds and Grenville (North), Francis Jones. 
Leeds (South), John Crawford. 
Grenville, Walter Shanley. 

Second Parliament, 1873. 
Leeds and Grenville (North), Francis Jones. 
Leeds (South), A. N. Richards. 
Grenville, William H. Brouse. 

Third Parliament, 1874. 

Leeds and Grenville (North), Chas. F. Ferguson. 
Leeds (South), David F. Jones. 
Grenville, Wm. H. Brouse. 



Fourth Parliament, 1878. 

Leeds and Grenville (North), Chas. F. Ferguson. 
Leeds (South), David Ford Jones. 
Grenville, J. P. Wiser. 

BROCKVILLE. 

1831 Henry Jones, Eleventh Parliament, Upper 
Canada. 

1835 David Jones, Twelfth Parliament, Upper 
Canada. 

1837-8 Henry Sherwood, Thirteenth Parliament, 
Upper Canada. 

1841 James Jessup, First Parliament, Canada. 

1 844-5 George Sherwood, Second Parliament, 
Canada. 

1848 George Sherwood, Third Parliament, 
Canada. 

1852-3 George Crawford, Fourth Parliament, 
Canada. 

i8 54 _ 5 _ George Crawford, Fifth Parliament, 
Canada. 

1858 George Sherwood, Sixth Parliament, 
Canada. 

1862 Hon. George Sherwood, Seventh Parlia 
ment, Canada. 

1863 F.H. Chambers, Eighth Parliament, Canada. 

1867-8 James Crawford, First Dominion of 
Canada. 

l8 73 J- D. Buell, Second Dominion of Canada. 

1874 J. D. Buell, Third Dominion of Canada. 
1878 William Fitzsimmons, Fourth Dominion of 
Canada. 

Legislative Council. 

1858 St. Lawrence Division, George Crawford. 
1860 Bathurst Division, James Shaw. 
1878 Bathurst Division, William H. Brouse. 

Legislative Assembly for Ontario First Parliament 

1867-8. 

North Leeds and Grenville, H. D. Smith. 
South Leeds, Benjamin Tett. 
South Grenville, McNeil Clark. 
Brockville, William Fitzsimmons. 

Second Parliament. 

North Leeds and Grenville, Henry Merrick. 

South Leeds, H .S. McDonald, who resigned ; 
ucceeded by J. G. Giles. 

South Grenville, McNeil Clark ; succeeded by C. 
r . Fraser. 

Brockville, William Fitzsimmons. 

Third, Parliament. 

North Leeds and Grenville, Henry Merrick. 
South Leeds, R. H. Preston. 
South Grenville, C. F. Fraser. 
Brockville, W. H. Cole. 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



REMARKS. 

The Hon. William Morris was President of the 

Executive Council from May 22nd, 1847, to March 

loth, 1848. 

Hon. H. Sherwood, Attorney-General for Upper 
Canada, from May 2gth, 1847, to March 10, 1848. 

Hon. William B. Richards, Attorney-General for 
Upper Canada, from October 28th, 1851, to June 
2ist, 1853. 

Hon. H. Sherwood, Solicitor-General for Upper 
Canada, from October 7th, 1844, to June 3oth, 1846. 

Hon. Albert Norton Richards, Solicitor-General, 
from December 26th, 1863, to January 3oth, 1864. 

Hon. W. Morris, Receiver-General, from Septem 
ber 2nd, 1844, to May 2oth, 1847. 

Hon. George Sherwood, Receiver-General, from 
August 7th, 1858, to March 26th, 1862. 

Hon. James Morris, Postmaster-General, from 
February 22nd, 1851, to August loth, 1853. 

Hon. George Sherwood, Commissioner of Crown 
Lands, from March 2yth, 1862, to May 23rd 1862. 

Hon. W. Morris, Member of New Board of Public 
Works, from October 4th, 1844, to June 8th, 1846. 

Hon. W. Morris, Member of the Executive Council, 
from September 22nd, 1844, to March roth, 1848. 

Hon. James Morris, Member of the Executive 
Council, from February 22nd, 1851, to September 
roth, 1854 ; from August 2nd, 1858, to August 4th, 
1858; and from May 24th, 1862, to March 6th, 1863. 

Hon. William B. Richards, Member of Executive 
Council, from October 28th, 1851, to June 2ist, 1853. 

Hon. A. N. Richards. Member of the Executive 
Council, from December 26th, 1863, to January 3oth, 
1864. 

Hon. H. Sherwood, Member of the Executive 
Council, from August 6th, 1858, to May 23rd, 1862 ; 
and from May 29th, 1847, to March loth, 1848. 

Hon. George Sherwood, Member of the Executive 
Council, from August 6th, 1858, to May 23rd, 1862. 

The Bathurst Division for the Legislative Council 
consisted of the South Riding of Leeds, and the 
North and South Ridings of Lanark. 

The St. Lawrence Division consisted of Brockville, 
Elizabethtown, South Riding of Grenville, North 
Riding of Leeds and Grenville, and the County of 
Dundas. 



CHAPTER XIX. 
THE ST. LAWRENCE AND THE THOUSAND ISLANDS. 

The Thousand Isles ! The Thousand Isles ! 
Dimpled the wave around them smiles, 
Kissed by a thousand red-lipped flowers ; 
Gemmed by a thousand emerald bowers ; 
9 



A thousand birds their praises wake, 
By rocky glade and plumy brake ; 
A thousand cedars fragrant shade 
Falls where the Indian s children played ; 
And fancy s dream my heart beguiles, 
While singing thee, the Thousand Isles. 

No vestal virgin guards thy groves ; 
No Cupid breathes of Cyprian loves ; 
No satyr s form at eve is seen ; 
No dryad peeps the trees between ; 
No Venus rises from their shore, 
No loved Adonis, red with gore ; 
No pale Endymion, wooed to sleep, 
No brave Leander breasts their deep ; 
No Ganymede, no Pleiades : 
Theirs are a new world s memories. 

The flag of France first o er them hung ; 
The mass was said, the vespers sung 
The friars of Jesus hailed the strands 
As blessed Virgin Mary s lands ; 
And red men mutely heard, surprised, 
Their heathen names all Christianized. 

The Thousand Isles ! the Thousand Isles ! 
Their charm from every care beguiles ; 
Titian alone hath grace to paint 
The triumph of their patron saint, 
Whose waves return on memory s tide ; 
La Salle and Piquet, side by side, 
Proud Frontenac and bold Champlain, 
There act their wanderings o er again ; 
And, while their golden sunlight smiles, 
Pilgrims shall greet thee, Thousand Isles. 

Inseparably linked with the past are many legends 
connected with the Indian occupation of the St. 
Lawrence. The first French navigators of the 
beautiful river, learned from their dusky companions 
that the Lake of the Thousand Isles was the favorite 
haunt of the Great Spirit, who had there spread out 
in miniature a happy hunting ground. The maze of 
Islands was known as Manatonna, or the Garden of 
the Great Spirit. From a few miles above Ganan- 
oque to Brockville, there is a constant succession of 
Islands, some comprising beautiful farms, some the 
picture of disolation ; bold bluffs of rocky heights, 
tiny islets peeping above the liquid blue, long vistas 
stretching for miles away, an enchanting picture of 
sky and island, light and shade, pine and hemlock 
and cedar, wreathed in fantastic clusters upon the 
rocky shores. 

Upon the bluff within the limits of Brockville, are 
two paintings of undoubted Indian origin. They 
represent two canoes, one containing six warriors 
and the other five ; in close proximity, there is also 
the figure of an Indian, representing the savage as 
diving into the river. The paintings are of com 
paratively modern origin and are supposed to have 
been executed after the arrival of the French 



66 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



Missionaries. The Indians at St. Regis possess a 
vague tradition concerning them, which they relate 
as follows : " A long time ago the Caughnawaga 
Indians were going west on a warlike expedition 
and made these paintings on their way up. They 
were all killed. The number of marks denote the 
number of the party." 

Opposite the village of Oak Point, in the Town 
ship of Elizabethtown, is a painting on a rock, re 
presenting thirty-five men in a canoe, and a cross, 
evidently intended to commemorate some event. 

The cross, the emblem of the Christian faith, and 
especially held in reverence by the Roman Catholics, 
indicates with sufficient clearness the modern origin 
of the sketches. Perhaps they form a connecting 
link in the chain of events that occurred under the 
French dynasty. But whatever their origin, they 
are interesting as examples of the symbolical records 
used by savages, to preserve the memory of events 
and the tastes of a race which is fast passing away. 
The sketch opposite Oak Point was apparently done 
in vermillion, while those at Brockville were ex 
ecuted in ochre. When first observed by the British 
settlers, they were very distinct, and for many years 
it was customary for the Indians, when passing up 
the river in the spring, to stop for a few days and re 
paint the sketches. All traces of the drawings will 
be obliterated in a few years, by the destroying hand 
of time. 

The iclics of French occupation are scattered 
along the frontier, and yet mark the untiring energy 
with which they labored to preserve New France 
from the encroachments of the English. The flag 
was first planted on the St. Lawrence by these hardy 
explorers, when Fort Frontenac, (Kingston), was 
built in 1662. La Presentation, (Ogdensburg), with 
its mission house and stockade, sprang into exist 
ence, under the guidance and direction of the inde 
fatigable missionary, Father Picquet. At Point au 
Barril (Maitland), they constructed a ship-yard of 
considerable capacity. Isle Royal (Chimney Island, 
below Ogdensburg) was strongly fortified ; and 
offered a stubborn resistance to the force under Lord 
Amherst. On the upper extremity of Carleton 
Island, is an abrupt bluff, upon which was perched 
an old French Fort. The following description of 
the ruins is from the pen of an American writer : 

"Perched aloft, perceptible to all passers-by along 
the river, and distinctly visible for miles around, 
stand a number of toppling and half-ruined chim 
neys. Like so many sentinels, sta nding, solemn 
faced, waiting for the blessed time of rest that will 
relieve them from duty, they watch over the ruins 
Of the fort. The early history of the place is almost 



lost, insomuch that it is supposed by some to be the 
ruin of old Fort Frontenac. In the year 1760, it fell 
into the hands of the English, by whom it was gar 
risoned. During the war of 1812, it was captured 
by one Hubbard, an American, who found the 
fortress garrisoned by two women and three invalids. 
The fort was burned, and the prisoners removed to 
Cape Vincent. An antiquated well, dug through 
the Trenton limestone, has been converted by the 
vivid imaginations of natives into a receptacle of 
the doubloons which the French, upon evacuating 
the fort are said to have thrown therein. The 
fortress was built in the most elaborate manner, 
after the system of Vauban, and exhibits skill of the 
very highest order in constructing defences. The 
fortifications in the rear are semi-circular in form ; 
the trench, four feet deep and twenty feet broad, is 
cut through the solid limestone, the glacis, which is 
approached by a gradual elevation, being constructed 
of the same material to the height of four feet. 
Directly on the river front, it is naturally impreg 
nable, and the precipitous side was, probably, merely 
defended by a stockade." 

" Numbers of graves lie in a flat field immediately 
back of the fort, many of which have been excavated 
by relic-seekers. Back in the island, in a copse, are 
the remains of an Indian burying ground, where 
numbers of stone arrowheads, tomahawks, etc., have 
been dug up. Immediately upon the bluff over 
looking the Canadian channel are still older graves, 
where, it is said, as the bluff slowly wears away, an 
occasional grinning skull or grisly bone is exposed 
to the long excluded light of heaven." 

During the war of 1812, block houses were built 
at several points along the frontier, one occupying 
the small island directly in front of Brockville, 
(now occupied by the round-house of the Brockville 
& Ottawa Railway) ; one situated on Chimney 
Island, near Mallorytown landing ; and one at 
Gananoque. Rifle pits were also constructed on the 
bank of the river, in the vicinity of La Rue s Mills. 
The historical points connected with the Rebellion 
of 1837. are the windmill at Prescott, and fortifica 
tions on Hickory Island, situated about four miles 
from Gananoque. 

The Thousand Islands have during the last few 
years become a place of resort during the heated 
term, no other locality on the Canadian frontier 
equalling it in picturesque and beautiful scenery, 
or in facilities for boating and gunning. The 
number of islands is about two thousand ; they 
vary in size from a few square yards to eight 
thousand acres, the latter being the extent of Well s 
Island. 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



PARKS. 

THOUSAND ISLAND PARK. 

In 1873, the Methodists established the Thousand 
Island Park on the upper end of Well s Island. The 
many natural beauties of the locality were enhanced 
by delightful drives and walks along the river bank. 
A dock and dock buildings have been constructed 
and about one hundred cottages, boat houses and 
buildings for religious purposes, erected for the 
accommodation of visitors. 

ST. LAWRENCE CENTRAL CAMP GROUND. 

This beautiful and healthful summer resort and 
Camp Meeting Ground, is situate on a high bluff of 
the St. Lawrence, in the first Concession of the Town 
ship of Elizabethtown. The ground is admirably 
located, commanding a fine view of the majestic 
river. Nature has done much to make the spot a 
coveted summer retreat. - The grounds, embracing 
some twenty-five acres, are finely wooded, being in 
that respect superior to the Parks located on Well s 
Island. To the untiring exertion of the Rev. A. D. 
Traveller, assisted by other ministers, is due the 
honor of having established the first permanent Park 
upon the Canadian side of the river. In 1875, the 
the land was purchased and is now held and con 
trolled by the Bay of Quinte Conference of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church. A spacious Taber 
nacle, a Boarding House and about thirty beautiful 
Cottages have been erected, and others are in 
process of completion. Two sessions of religious 
services are held each year, one in June and the 
other in September. Among the contemplated im 
provements is the establishment of a Telegraph 
Office, a Post Office and a Custom s Office. At the 
close of the season (1878), six series of religious 
meetings had been held upon the grounds. It 
certainly is not asking too much of Canadians to 
expect them to cordially assist the undertaking. 
The Park is only three and a half miles from Brock- 
ville, with which it is in constant communication 
through the medium of a comfortable steamer, 
during the sessions of religious service. A special 
feature of attraction is the establishment of a Sunday 
School Parliament, which assembles annually during 
the June Session. The price of lots has been placed 
very low, to enable all classes to secure a summer 
home, the intention being to make the Park not only 
a Camp Ground but also a permanent place of re 
sidence during the summer months. (See view of 
Park and Tabernacle.) 

WESTMINSTER PARK. 

In 1878, a Presbyterian Stock Company secured a 
large tract of land at the foot of Well s Island, 



directly opposite Alexandria Bay. A boarding 
house, dock and buildings and several cottages have 
been completed. It is the intention of the pro 
prietors to construct fifteen miles of winding drives 
and charming walks overlooking the scenery, and 
otherwise beautify the place. 

THE INTERNATIONAL CAMP GROUND. 
The grounds of this association are situated about 
one mile below the village of Morristown, N.Y., and 
comprise ten acres of land, on the southern bank of 
the St. Lawrence. In 1874, the Park was opened ; an 
extensive dock was built, also a pavillion for holding 
religious services, and an extensive dining hall. The 
project is under the direction of the Methodists of 
the State of New York and Canada, acting jointly 
through Trustees appointed from each side of the 
line. Both Ogdensburg and Morristown have 
erected extensive tabernacles for holding special 
services. One general meeting is held each year, 
commencing in the latter part of July. Fifty 
cottages have been put up and many of them are 
occupied during the entire summer. 

RIVER S CLIFF. 

This lovely spot is the property of J. W. B. Rivers, 
Esq., Manager of Molson s Bank, Brockville. The 
grounds are about forty acres in extent, upon which 
he has erected summer cottages of very pretty 
design. The situation is most beautiful, facing the 
magnificent river and only one mile from the centre 
of Brockville. The shore in front of the cottages is 
most picturesque and diversified indeed all that an 
artist could desire. In summer, the rocks are 
carpeted with moss, and shaded by second growth 
pines of luxuriant foliage. In the foreground is that 
amphi-theatre of the St. Lawrence, which, once seen, 
can never be forgotten. The islands, preserved by 
the Canadian Government as a National Park, are 
numerous in the vicinity, and the continually passing 
steamers, yachts and countless miniature crafts, from 
early morn till dewy eve, give an air of life and 
vivacity to this charming scene. The land to the 
rear of the Park is laid out with serpentine drives 
and shady walks, terminating at the rocky pinnacle 
which overlooks the river. There are two entrances 
to the grounds, one at the western and the other at 
the eastern extremity. On the beach, a landing is 
provided where boat houses are situated. Indeed, it 
has been remarked, with justice, that nature has 
done much for the lovely spot, and that with a 
trifling outlay River s Cliff could be made one of the 
finest Parks in the Dominion. 

During the past season fully ten thousand persons 
visited Alexandria Bay, N. Y., and indications are 
not wanting that every succeeding year will see the 



68 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



tide of travel to the St. Lawrence increased. Among 
the attractions at the Bay are two first-class hotels 
and the Centennial Hall. 

Among the causes, which in a marked degree have 
contributed towards making the scenery of the St. 
Lawrence known, none deservedly holds a more 
prominent place than the beautiful stereoscopic 
views of Mr. A. C. Mclntyre, a well-known Canadian 
artist. 



CHAPTER XX. 

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH iiv JOHN KILBORN, OF 

NEWBORO , AND OTHER RESIDENTS. 
THOMAS KILBORX, the progenitor of all the Kilborns 
in America, emigrated with his family from Cam 
bridge, England, in the year 1635, and settled in the 
County of Litchfield, Colony of Connecticut. They 
multiplied and spread to all parts of the then 
Colony of Great Britain, United States, and Canada. 
Benjamin Kilborn, my grandfather, was born at 
Litchfield, in the Colony of Connecticut, and 
remained there during the Revolutionary War ; 
but, retaining his love for British rule, he emigrated 
with his family to Canada, in the year 1780, and 
settled on the bank of the St. Lawrance, in Eliza- 
bethtown, where he lived, and died in the year 1805, 
being between So and 90 years of age. My father, 
David Kilborn, his third son, settled near him, 
about two miles below the present town of Brock- 
ville ; married Hannah White, daughter of Joseph 
White, a U. E. Loyalist, who, at the breaking out 
of the Revolution, espoused the cause of his King, 
and, with his eldest son, Joseph, a young man, left 
his family, a large farm and property in the Colony 
of New Hampshire, where he resided, and joined 
the Royal standard. He did much and hard duty 
with the English forces, until the close of the 
Revolution, when he returned to his former home, 
and, collecting what had not been destroyed or 
confiscated of his large property, at once left with 
his family for a new home in the wilderness of 
Canada. He settled, as before mentioned, on the 
first lot of Elizabethtown, adjoining Augusta, on 
the St. Lawrence. He died at the age of 95, about 
the year 1820. In his early life, he was a lieutenant 
in a Provincial Regiment, raised in the Colony of 
New Hampshire, to join the British army under Sir 
Guy Carleton, in his expedition and conquest of 
Canada, from the French, in the year 1759. The 
army marched through the then almost wilderness 
from Albany to Detroit, after capturing which, fol 
lowed the lines and posts east, comprising Niagara 
and Oswego. The latter fort, my grandfather, 
Benjamin Kilborn, was placed in charge and com 



mand of, with a force of thirty men, while General 
Carleton pursued the French on down the St. 
Lawrence, taking Carleton Island, Oswegatchie, 
(now Ogdensburg), and Coteau-due-Lac forts, when 
the conquest of Canada was completed by the 
surrender of Quebec to General Wolf. 

I am the third son of David Kilborn, born 27th 
of June, 1794 ; remained at home, working on 
the farm or at school, until my seventeenth year, 
when I was placed in the store, at Brockville, of the 
late Roderick Easton, Esq., the father of George 
Easton, Esq., the present Collector of Customs of 
the Port of Brockville, whose grandfather, the late 
Joseph Easton, of the Township of Wolford. was 
also with Sir Guy Carleton, in his expedition in 
the conquest of Canada from the French. 

In June, 1812, the United States declared war 
against Great Britain and her dependencies, and I, 
with other young men, volunteered to serve in the 
first flank company of the County of Leeds, under 
Captain John Stuart, late Sheriff of the Johnstown 
District, for six months service, and I happened to 
be the first man placed on sentry, by Lieutenant 
William Morris (late Hon. William Morris), to guard 
the Kingston road, near the bridge at the west end 
of Brockville. I continued on duty with the com 
pany, being drilled daily by Lieutenant Morris, then 
the most competent officer available for that duty, 
until September, when an attempt was made to 
capture Ogdensburg, it having a strong fort, and a 
considerable force of riflemen, by whom we were 
daily annoyed. The expedition was under Colonel 
Lethbridge, of the British army, commanding our 
garrison at Prescott. Assistance from the Brock 
ville men was asked for, and, with about forty 
others, I volunteered, and marched to Prescott 
during the night, under Captain Reuben Sherwood 
and Lieutenant William Morris. Boats, etc., were 
procured, and early in the morning, led by Colonel 
Lethbridge, with part of a company of regulars, the 
attack was made. The boat I was in was com 
manded by Lieutenant Morris. After getting near 
their batteries (which they plied continually) and in 
front of the town, we failed to make a landing, and 
returned to Prescott, with a loss, in our boat, of one 
killed (Mott, a cousin of Henry Mott, of Delta), and 
eight wounded. 

No other attempt was made on Ogdensburg that 
year. I continued my duty in the company as 
sergeant, was sent to Johnstown on duty in the 
autumn, and lodged in the old Court House until 
February, 1813, when another attack was to be made 
on Ogdensburg, by crossing on the ice, Captain 
Jonas Jones (late Chief-Justice Jones) having com 
mand of the company. This attempt proved sue- 




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HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



69 



cessful, with a loss of five or six killed and forty-two 
wounded. After this was over, I returned to my 
home in Brockville, having served two months 
beyond my allotted time. That winter, the Parlia 
ment of Upper Canada passed a law to raise a 
Provincial Regiment, to serve during the war. 
Unsolicited and unexpected, I received recruiting 
orders from the commanding officer at Prescott, to 
enlist a certain number of men, and get a commis 
sion in the new Battalion. In this I succeeded, and 
received an ensign s commision in Captain Thomas 
Eraser s company, the first one organized of the 
regiment. I was soon appointed to act as quarter 
master, with pay and allowances increased to that 
grade. In this capacity I served until the month of 
March following, when the regiment was ordered to 
York, to be more perfectly drilled and disciplined, 
when, having received a new set of staff officers 
from the 4ist Regiment, and a new Colonel (Robin 
son, from the 8th, or Queen s Own), I was relieved 
as quarter-master, and placed in Captain Hamilton 
Walker s company as ensign. We remained in 
York, being drilled and disciplined, until the inva 
sion of Canada by the American army, on the 4th 
of July, 1814, which crossed the Niagara River from 
Black Rock, and, after a slight skirmish with the 
few troops there (merely a guard), took possession 
of Fort Erie, which they soon commenced fortifying, 
making it the base of operations for the campaign. 
The day following, our regiment had orders to pre 
pare to embark for the frontier, and sailed from 
York on the 6th of July, by a brig of war and four 
schooners, arriving at Niagara on the afternoon of 
the same day. All our surplus and baggage being 
placed in store at Fort George, we immediately 
marched for Quecnston, arriving there about 10 p. M. 
The American army had moved down the river the 
day after crossing, and was met the following day 
by such force as could be mustered, commanded by 
General Riol (mainly Militia, with a few broken 
detachments of regulars, and a few Indians), above 
Chippewa, where the battle of " Street s Farm " took 
place, and was hotly contested a good part of 
the day. Finding it hopeless, with his small force, 
either to capture or drive them back to Fort Erie, 
our forces were withdrawn, leaving numbers killed 
and wounded, and the Americans masters of the 
field. Among the killed and wounded were several 
prominent and valuable citizens and officers of 
Militia. Our troops fell back on Chippewa Creek, 
about two miles above Niagara Falls, where we had 
some battalions and military works. Our regiment 
lay, the night we arrived, at Queenston, expecting 
to join our friends at Chippewa Creek next day, but 
received orders to remain there the next day, during 



which time numbers of our wounded men and 
officers from the battle-field passed down for Fort 
George. The next day we marched for Chippewa. 
The day being hot, on reaching the Falls, we 
stocked arms, and rested for half-an-hour, when, 
again starting for our destination, we were soon 
met by our troops from Chippewa, they having 
destroyed nd abandoned our works there, bringing 
all the guns and stores that teams could be got to 
draw, accompanied by hundreds of women and 
children, besides men on foot and in vehicles, 
making their way to Fort George, as a place of 
safety, the enemy being in pursuit, and not far 
behind. Our regiment, having had a slow and 
fatiguing march already, wheeled about, and was 
given a special privilege and benefit of marching 
in front. Retracing our steps as fast as possible, 
we reached the foot of the mountain, at Queenston, 
a little after dark, where a short halt was made, and 
where we got a drink of muddy sulphur water that 
crossed the road, and had served to each man and 
officer about half-a-pound of bread that had been 
brought in an open wagon, and was pretty well 
filled with dust and gravel, gladly eating and 
drinking such as could be got. Having rested 
awhile, the march was continued for Fort George, 
seven miles distant. During the halt at Queenston, 
the guns were dismantled and, with the stores, 
hauled out of a small fort built on the side of the 
mountain at Queenston, just above the town. It 
had but lately been finished, and appeared sufficient 
to stand a siege. After the guns and stores had 
been removed, the block house was set on fire and 
destroyed, so that it could not be used by the 
enemy, who reached there next morning. After 
starting for Fort George, we were halted at Mc- 
Farland s, a large deserted brick house, about a 
mile outside the fort, as a piquet guard, until 
morning, the remainder of our force passing on 
to the fort. After placing sentries, all found a 
resting place on the floor of the house and ground 
of the orchard near by, until daylight, from whence 
we could see the tents of the enemy, established on 
the mountain, six miles from us. After daylight 
we were marched to Niagara, and encamped within 
range of the fort, remaining there several days. 
During that time, the Americans had advanced to 
McFarland s, and placed guards and piquets, nearly 
surrounding us with sentries. We, of course did 
the same, which brought them and our sentries 
within speaking distance of each other. On several 
occasions, attempts were made, particularly at night, 
to capture our sentries and guards. I recollect, one 
night, a party, accompanied by one of their generals 
(Swift), partly succeeded, but lost their general, who 



7 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



was shot by one of our sentries. After a few days 
and nights of this kind of warfare, our Glengarry 
Regiment arrived at Twelve Mile Creek, near the 
present City of St. Catharines, and our regiment 
marched at dusk to join them, reaching there about 
8 o clock A. M., when the two regiments were formed 
into a light brigade, under Colonel Pierson (after 
wards General Sir Thomas Pierson.) 

We remained there until the evening of the 24th 
of July, when word was received that the enemy had 
left McFarland s, not daring to attack Fort George 
and Niagara, and was retiring towards Fort Erie. 
Our encampment was immediately broken up, the 
brigade marching all night through the country 
towards the Falls, passing St. David s, which had 
been burned the day before by the Americans, 
arriving at Lundy s Lane early in the morning of 
the 251)1 of July, 1814, where the greatest and most 
important battle during the war was fought. When 
we arrived there we learned that the American army 
were encamped at Chippewa, about two miles above 
us. Not desiring to attack so large a force with our 
light brigade, scarcely one thousand strong, we 
rested them, spending most of the day in sleep and 
eating until six p. M., when our dragoons, posted 
about a mile in front, came hurridly back with the 
intelligence that the whole American army were 
marching down upon us. 

Our brigade, with two or three pieces of artillery, 
which had arrived during the day, and a consider 
able number of Indians, were at once formed in order, 
when fortunately General Drummond, the com- 
mander-in-chief, arrived with the 85th Regiment, 
one and part of a second company of regulars from 
Fort George, with two pieces more of artillery, 
making our force about fifteen hundred and fifty 
rank and file. All were formed in order, except the 
Indians, who carefully kept a safe distance in rear. 
Our regiment was on the left of the line from the 
main road towards the river, which was skirted by a 
strip of woods along the bank of the Niagara. About 
three quarters of a mile below the Falls, the Glen 
garry 85th Regiment and detachments were formed 
from the main road on the right, up Lundy s Lane, 
where also our artillery was posted, the ground 
rising in that direction. A strip of woods crossed 
the road above us towards the Falls, and as soon as 
the American army came in range of our heavy guns, 
they opened fire on them, although covered partly 
by the woods except the width of the main road over 
which they were coming. Before, however, they had 
passed through the intervening woods, they deployed 
or extended to the right and left, outflanking us in 
each direction. As soon as they came in range, 
although behind a rail fence, along the edge of the 



woods, we opened fire on them, our men standing 
exposed in the open field to their fire until the 
approaching darkness and smoke hid them from 
view, except what could be seen by the fire from 
their muskets. In this position, our men falling fast 
around us, we stood until some time after darkness 
had come on ; how it was on our right I could not 
see. Our artillery in the centre kept up a continued 
roar, nearly drowning the sound of musketry except 
at short intervals. Before too dark our line had 
advanced nearer the woods in front, and I could fre 
quently see the enemy moving to the right, appar 
ently for the purpose of outflanking us and getting 
to our rear nor was I mistaken. Some time after 
dark, Lieutenant McDougall, of the Grenadier 
Company, which was on the right of our company 
and nearer the main road, came to me saying that I 
was too far in advance, that our men on the right 
had fallen back some distance and were likely to 
fire into us from behind. I told him what I sus 
pected, that they were trying to outflank us and get 
in our rear. He at once proposed to extend our line 
towards the river, and, at the same time, falling back 
to regain our line on the right. While doing so, I 
came directly on a company of Americans formed 
two deep, the front rank with bayonets charged and 
the rear rank arms presented ready to fire. I was 
within twenty feet of them when discovered. The 
officer at the head of the company demanded a sur 
render. I hesitated for a short time, but seeing no 
possibility of escape, I told the men near me to 
throw down their muskets. Three or four others 
that were much farther from them than we were at 
tempted to escape, also Lieutenant McDougall. 
They were shot down and probably killed, except 
Lieutenant McDougall, who was reported in the 
General s order of next day as being mortally 
wounded with six buckshot. He recovered, how 
ever, and lived many years after. After I had, with 
five or six men, surrendered, the lieutenant in com 
mand of the company of about sixty men, formed 
his men in a hollow square, placed his prisoners 
within it, marched us round near the river and up 
by the Falls in rear of their army, and beyond the 
reach of a shot from either side, placed me under a 
strong guard in charge of his junior officer, and with 
the balance of his company returned back to the 
battle field. I was soon after taken with my men, 
under the guard, to their encampment beyond the 
Chippewa bridge, put in a tent alone, sentry being 
posted at each end, and my men put in another tent 
with a like guard. I had not been long in the tent 
when a British officer was brought in, who, I could 
see at once, belonged to the staff. I soon learned 
that he was Major Loring, aid to General Drummond, 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



the commander-in-chief, and his fear was strong that 
General Drummoud himself would be captured. It 
appears that the Americans had succeeded in getting 
a whole regiment in rear of our line, most of them 
stationed near the centre, so that the men or officers 
going to the rear would be captured. Most of the 
prisoners taken were in that way. Major Loring had 
been ordered to bring up a troop of dragoons that 
were some distance in the rear, when riding back, 
and he thought not a hundred yards from the 
General, he was among the enemy, pulled off his 
horse and made prisoner ; his fears, however, were 
groundless. The action beginning not far from six 
p. M., lasting till past ten, gave time for Col. Scott, 
with the io3rd Regiment and some militia, about a 
thousand strong, to march from St. Catharines, a 
distance of thirteen miles, after the action had com 
menced, and to close it by driving the enemy 
from the field, regaining two or three pieces of 
our artillery they had captured and one of their 
own guns. I being in rear of them, I could see all 
their movements and judge of their numbers. When 
they had marched to Chippewa, after retreating from 
the field of battle, Major Loring and myself were 
taken from our tent to the main road, where we 
fell in with all our officers and men that had 
been made prisoners, viz,, about fifty men and 
eighteen officers. Amongst the latter, were General 
Riol, the late Chief-Justice McLean, Hamilton Mer- 
ritt, etc. We were all marched a distance above 
Chippewa, and put in a large Durham boat, and, 
surrounded by a strong guard, rowed across the 
Niagara River, and landed at a place called Slusher, 
a short distance above the Falls. After leaving the 
boat, we were encompassed by a strong guard, 
where we remained until daylight. Early in the 
morning, we were taken (that is, the officers, only, 
as the privates were not then taken across) in charge 
of a new guard, and marched to Buffalo, which we 
reached early in the evening, and were kept that 
night in a large unfurnished house, used as a hotel. 
We enjoyed our rest and food, having suffered for 
want of both. Next day, we were visited by the com 
manding officer of Buffalo. They had paroles made 
out, by which we promised to go to Greenbush, and 
report to the commanding officer there. These 
being signed by all, the guard was withdrawn, and 
we were no longer close prisoners. The next day, 
conveyances were provided, and all started for 
Greenbush, except General Riol and Captain Wash- 
burn, who, being wounded, were allowed to remain 
near Buffalo. After travelling six or eight days 
in covered wagons provided, I reached Albany, in 
company with the late Hon. Hamilton Merritt, and 
we at once crossed to Greenbush, reporting our 



selves to the general commanding there, and was 
by him allowed to remain at Albany eight days, 
then to go on to Massachusetts, the place of our 
destination. Accordingly, in eight days, stages 
were engaged, and all, being then eighteen in 
number, went on to Pittsfield, Massachusetts, the 
headquarters of prisoners of war, having signed 
new paroles, not to leave the Township of Cheshire, 
the place assigned us being ten miles east of Pitts- 
field. We went there the same evening, procured 
lodgings, and remained there nine months, until 
the news of peace being proclaimed, when we were 
discharged, and allowed to return home to Canada, 
Our captured soldiers were marched from Buffalo 
to Pittsfield, and there confined in prisons until 
released by the peace. All officers received a cartel 
allowance of $20 per month, paid us monthly by the 
American Marshall, as their agent, and on which 
they subsisted, and their expenses home. The 
soldiers drew rations. 

Soon after my return, I commenced trade at 
Unionville, ten miles in rear of Brockville, and was 
also employed by the Commissariat Department in 
the settlement of the emigrants who first settled in 
Perth and vicinity, in the year 1816. I forwarded 
all the families by wagons to the Bay (now the 
Village of Portland), and had to cut a road the last 
three miles, to reach the lake. Thence, in a large 
scow, they were taken down the Rideau Lake, below 
Oliver s Ferry, to a deep bay above the mouth of 
River Tay ; then down on ox sleds, through the 
woods about a mile and a-half, to the Tay, above 
(now) Pike Falls ; then, in another scow, up the 
River Tay, to the Depot, the present town of Perth. 
The same spring, I was employed by the Govern 
ment to purchase wheat, oats, and potatoes for the 
emigrants, being sent to the settlement by the same 
route. I had sent forward provisions the winter 
previous by the ice and roads cut between the lakes. 
The following autumn, a road was cut by Peter 
Howard, M. P., from the present site of Toledo to 
Oliver s Ferry and Perth, nearly on the line now 
traveled. 

In the month of June, 1816, I was married, being 
then 21 years of age, by the late Rev. William Smart, 
to Elizabeth Baldwin (a sister of the wife of the late 
Sheriff Sherwood, and the wife of the late Roderick 
Easton), and the same year built a stone house, and 
settled at Unionville. We have had born to us 
eight sons and one daughter. Five of our sons are 
buried. Horace Kilborn, the eldest, now resides at 
Newboro ; is Clerk of the Division Court and keeps 
a drug store. He is married, and has a family. 
The second son, Roderick, is settled in Australia. 
He is married, and has a family. He has been 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



twenty-five years a postmaster there, and is now at 
Arrisot. The youngest son, Edward Burritt, is in 
Nevada, U. S. The daughter was married to Ben 
jamin Chaffey. She resides at Hastings, Ontario, 
and has a family of six children. Besides those 
not living, I have sixteen grandchildren, and 
twelve great-grandchildren. Mrs. Kilborn, after a 
married life of sixty-two years, died in October, 
1877. 

The two succeeding years atter the beginning of 
the Perth settlement, I had the contract for the 
transport of all the stores and supplies made by the 
government to the settlement ; some five or six 
hundred loads. The first season the getting the 
settlers, their baggage, seed, etc., transported from 
Brockville to the settlement, cost the government 
three dollars and a quarter per hundred ; the next 
two winters the direct road being opened, it was 
done for from one-half to three-quarters of a dollar 
per hundred. 

In 1828, I was elected with the late William Buell, 
Esq., to the Parliament of Upper Canada, receiving 
about 1,000 votes of the 1,200, the whole polled. At 
the expiration of that Parliament, I had moved to 
Kilmarnock, on the Rideau Canal, which was then 
being constructed, and commenced business there 
Before the next election, a very respectable depu 
tation of my former constituents from the County of 
Leeds, was sent me, with the request that I would 
again stand for the ensuing election, which I had to 
decline, and Matthew M. Howard was elected in my 
place. 

I have been a merchant in trade about twenty-five 
years, and about the same length of time engaged 
in the Quebec and American lumber trade. I have 
held the following offices, not one of which did I 
solicit or ask for : 

In 18x8, Ensign ist Regiment, Leeds Militia; ap 
pointed by Samuel Smith, administrator. 

1830 Captain 4th Regiment Leeds Militia; Sir 
John Colborn, Governor. 

1831 Justice of the Peace. 

In the fall and winter of 1837 and 1838, I was on 
duty in command of a company of volunteers at 
Gananoque, six months. 

1841 Major 2nd Regiment Leeds Militia; Lord 
Sydenham, Governor. 

1846 Lieutenant-Colonel 8th Regiment Leeds 
Militia ; Lord Cathcart, Governor. 

1847 Lieutenant-Colonel ; 
Lord Elgin, Governor. 

1849 Commission in Queen s Bench ; Sir John B. 
Robinson, Chief-Justice. 

1852 Postmaster, Brockville; Hon. J. Morris, 
Postmaster-General. 



l8 53-4-5 Associate Judge of Assize, Brockville. 

I was placed on the Half-pay List by the British 
Government, in 1825, in connection with all the 
officers of the Incorporated Regiment, and which 
I now receive ; and, so far as I can learn, I am the 
only surviving officer of the regiment, being 84 years 
of age on the 2jth of June, 1878. 

THE WEATHERHEAD FAMILY. 

Samuel Weatherhead was born in Barbadoes, West 
Indies. At an early age, he ran away from home, 
taking passage in a merchant ship for England. 
During the voyage the merchantman was captured 
by pirates, who held a consultation as to the advisa 
bility of making the captives walk a plank into the sea, 
under the plea, that " dead men tell no tales ;" but, 
by a small majority, it was decided to spare their 
lives. The crew was then divided, one half being 
transferred to the pirate ship. The merchantman 
was taken in tow and the voyage continued. In a 
few days a fierce storm arose which parted the 
ships, and, as the merchantman was never heard of 
after, it is supposed that she went down with all 
on board. Fortunately for the subject of this 
sketch, he was one of the crew taken on board the 
pirate. Several of the captured joined the pirates, 
but the majority refusing to do so, they were landed 
on a small island, being supplied with provisions by 
the bucanneers. In a short time a sail hove in sight, 
which proved to be a ship engaged in the lumber 
trade and bound for Quebec, where young Weather- 
head was safely landed. Of an adventurous spirit, 
he determined to seek a home in the woods of 
Canada, and proceeded to Upper Canada, taking 
up land a short distance below Maitland, where 
he became a merchant. His eldest son, John, 
was an officer in the war of 1812, and 
afterwards Custom House Officer at Brockville. 
During the war, the store below Maitland was 
plundered by a marauding band of Americans. At 
the battle of Crysler s Farm, John Weatherhead 
played an important part, having charge of the 
skirmishers who led the Americans into the general 
engagement. W. L. Weatherhead, of Westport, 
another son, was engaged in the war as a militiaman. 
The remaining sons were James and Alexander. 

THE SHERWOOD FAMILY. 

Justus Sherwood, who was a captain in the 
olonial Militia on active service during the Amer 
ican war of independence, came into the Province of 
Quebec about the year 1777, and remained at St. 
John s for some time. His second son, the late Mr. 
Justice Sherwood, was born there. Justus Sherwood 
afterwards settled in the Township of Augusta, on a 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



farm near where the old Blue Church was after 
wards erected. lie was one of the first members of 
the House of Assembly of Upper Canada, that met 
at Newark, now the Town of Niagara. He had two 
sons, Samuel Sherwood, Esq., and Mr. Justice Sher 
wood, before mentioned, who were educated for and 
became members of the Bar of Upper Canada. Mr. 
Justice Sherwood was elected by the County of 
Leeds to the House of Assembly, in 1822, and 
became Speaker of that body, and in 1825, was 
appointed a Puisne Judge of the Court of King s 
Bench for Upper Canada. He served in this capa 
city for a number of years, and afterwards retired. 
In 1841, during the administration of Lord Syden- 
ham, he was appointed Speaker of the Legislative 
Council of Canada. He died in 1850, leaving four 
sons and three daughters. Henry, the eldest son, 
at one time represented the Town of Brockville, and 
afterwards the City of Toronto, and held the offices 
of Solicitor and Attorney-General. George, his 
second son, represented Brockville for about twenty 
years. He held the offices of Receiver-General and 
Commissioner of Crown Lands, in the Cartier- 
McDonald Ministry, and retired from Parliament 
about the year 1863. He was, in 1865, appointed 
Judge of the County of Hastings. Samuel, his third 
son, was Registrar of the City of Toronto at the 
time of his death, in 1867 ; and Edward, the fourth 
son, was at the time of his death, 1877, Registrar 
of the County of Carleton. Charlotte, the eldest 
daughter, is the widow of the late Hon. John 
Elmsley, who was at one time a member of the 
Legislative Council of Upper Canada ; Amelia, the 
second daughter, is the widow of the late John 
King, M. D., of Toronto ; and Helen, the third 
daughter, is the widow of John Crawford, Esq., 
late Lieutenant-Governor of the Province of Ontario, 
who died in the year 1875. 

THE WELLS FAMILY, OF THE TOWNSHIP OF AUGUSTA, 
COUNTY OF GRENVILLE. 

The name of Wells or Welles is very ancient in 
England. It is probable that Thomas Wells, of 
Ipswich, Massachusetts, was the first of that name 
who settled in America. He came in 1635 in the 
SitsaH a/hl Ellen, from London, when 30 years of age, 
having been born in 1605, probably in the County of 
hssex, England, as he had relatives at Colchester, in 
that County, at the time of his disease in 1666. He 
married Abigail, daughter of William Warner, and 
sister of Daniel and John Warner, all people of con 
sideration among the first settlers. He left three 
sons, Nathaniel, John and Thomas, and five 
daughters, Sarah Massie, of Salem ; Abigail Tread- 
well, of Ipswich ; Elizabeth Burnans, Hannah and 
10 



Lydia Ropes. He died October 26th, 1666, and his 
wife in 1671. He appears to have been a physician, 
as his " phissic books" were, after his death, ap 
praised at S 6s. T,d., a respectable medical library 
for those days. He had land granted him at 
Ipswich in 1635, and he took the Freeman s bath at 
Boston, May I7th, 1637. From a branch of his 
family the Town of Wells, Maine, took its 
name. His third and youngest son was the 
Reverend Thomas Wells, born January nth, 1647, 
to whom his father bequeathed two hundred and 
fifty pounds, to be paid to him when he came to the 
age of 22 years, 4 months and 10 days ; and also 
provided funds for his books. The Rev. Thomas 
was settled as the first pastor of the first church in 
Amesbury, in 1672. He enjoyed the distinction of 
being the first honorary A. M., of Harvard College. 

He married in 1671 Mary , and had children 

as follows : (i) John, born February 2nd, 1672 ; died 
April 2nd, 1673. (2) Luke, born March ipth, 1674 ; 
married Widow Dorothy Trull, of Haverhill. (3) 
Titus (of whom hereafter.) (4) A son, died young ; 
(5) a son, died young. (6) Abigail ; married Samuel 
Bartlett, of Newbury. (7) Mary : married John 
Martin, of Amesbury. (8) Eliezer, born June loth, 
1686 ; married Deborah Worthen, of Amesbury, 
November i7th, 1714. (9) Elizabeth, born Decem 
ber 1 7th, 1688; married Moses Chase, Jr., of New 
bury, October i2th, 1709. (10) John, born October 
9th, 1692 ; married Dorothy Hoyt, of Amesbury, 
February 5th, 1713, The Rev. Thomas died July 
io!h, 1734, in the 87th year of his age, and the 6->nd 
of his ministry ; and his wife, Mary, died January 
26th, 1727, aged 75 years. 

Titus Wells, third son of Rev. Thomas, was born 
March i4th, 1675 > ar| d married, in 1697, Joanna 
; and had children as follows: (i) Sarah, 
born July 3oth, 1698 ; married Jonathan Farren, 
December loth, 1719. (2) Thomas (of whom here 
after) ; (3) Timothy, born April i6th, 1704 ; (4) Titus 
and (5) Hannah, twins, born February 5th, 1706 ; (6) 
Philemon, born September 3rd, 1 708 ; (7) Jacob, born 
August 28th, 1710; (8) Elizabeth, born March nth, 
1716 ; (9) Abigail, born December iSth, 1718. 

Thomas Wells, eldest son of Titus, born March 
4th, 1700, was a large landholder in Chester, New 
Hampshire, and a captain in the Militia. He mar 
ried first Sarah Iladley (December ijth, 1720) by 
whom he had the following children : (i) Phillip, 
born September 3rd, 1721 ; (2) Benjamin, born May 
3rd, 1724; (3) Winthrop, born August aist, 1726. 
He married second Hannah Ingalls, in 1738, by 
whom he had : (4) Sarah, born December 2nd, 1739 ; 
(5) Thomas (of whom hereafter) ; (6) Henry, born 
March 241)1, 1743; (7) Reuben, born August 28th, 



74 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



1746; (8) Samuel, born August 24th, 1749; (9) 
Peter, born July 26th, 1752 died in infancy; (10) 
Ebenezer, born May jrd, 1754; (n) Phebe, born 
October i4th, 1757 ; (12) Peter, born January 2oth, 
1762 ; (13) Timothy, born May 2oth, 1765. Captain 
Thomas Wells served in the expedition composed of 
New England troops, under the command of Sir Wil 
liam Pepperell, which resulted in the conquest of 
Louisbourg, in Cape Breton, in 1745. He died about 
the year 1769, as his will was dated December 27th, 
1768, and proved May 8th, 1769. 

Thomas Wells, fourth son of Captain Thomas, 
was born January i9th, 1741 ; married, in 1767, 
Ruth Rowell, of Sandown, and had children as 
follows : (i) William (of whom hereafter) ; (2) Mary, 
married Wait Stephens, of New Chester, New Hamp 
shire ; (3) Hannah, married Thorndike Proctor, of 
Salisbury, New Hampshire ; (4) Elizabeth, married 
James Murray, of New Chester ; (5) Philip, married 
Mary Ingles, of New Chester ; (6) Ruth, married Dr. 
Forbes, of New Chester. Thomas Wells held the 
rank of Lieutenant in the Militia. He served in 
the old French war, and was with General Amherst s 
expedition which conquered Canada in 1760. He 
also served in the Continental army in the Revolu 
tionary War. He died July 29th, 1831, at Chester, 
New Hampshire, at the age of 90 years, retaining 
his strength and faculties unimpaired to within a 
few days of his decease. 

William Wells, eldest son of Thomas, born June 
3oth, 1768, at Sandown, New Hampshire (then a 
British Province), settled in Upper Canada in 1787, 
being then 19 years of age. Being born a British 
subject, he resolved never to abandon his birthright, 
and, although his father had espoused the side of 
the American revolutionists, and served in the Con 
tinental army, he, the eldest son, determined that as 
he was born, so would he live and die a faithful 
subject of the Crown of Great Britain. Conse 
quently, at the earliest possible moment, he removed 
to Upper Canada, there, as a member of that loyal 
band, the United Empire Loyalists, to live under 
the glorious old flag of England. Upon his arrival 
in Upper Canada, he drew land from the Crown in 
the neighborhood of Mallorytown, in the County of 
Leeds, and at once engaged in clearing his land. 
After some time, in consequence of the death of a 
friend and near neighbor, to whom he was much 
attached, he became discontented with his location, 
and sold his land. He then purchased a large farm 
on the bank of the River St. Lawrence, in the Town 
ship of Augusta and County of Grenville, about 
midway between the present Towns of Brockville 
and Prescott, and there settled permanently fur the 
remainder of his life. In 1799, he made a short 



visit to New Hampshire, and there married Sarah 
Clough, only daughter of Benjamin Clough, of 
Salem, Massachusetts. Returning immediately to 
Canada, he commenced active operations in the 
lumber business, and in a few years became one of 
the leading lumbermen in the country. For a few 
years he confined his business operations to the 
banks of the St. Lawrence, the Bay of Ouinte, and 
the Thousand Isles, Wells Island, one of the largest 
being called after him. He also leased Grindstone 
Island for a term of 99 years, with the right of 
renewal from the St. Regis Indians. He had it 
suiveyed and laid out in farms, cleared the land, 
built houses, and settled tenants on the farms, at 
a moderate rent. Just as this island was becoming 
valuable, it was ceded to the United States, and 
consequently all of his outlay and improvements 
were lost, and for which he never received any 
remuneration. Lumber becoming scarce on the St. 
Lawrence, he removed his business to the Rideau 
River, and from thence to the Bonnechere, one of the 
tributaries of the Ottawa. Being the first lumber 
man upon the latter river, he was obliged to go to 
great expense in building dams and removing 
obstructions, in order to get his lumber to market. 
He continued in business until 1832, when he finally 
retired, confining his attention to his farm until his 
death. 

Mr. Wells served in the Militia of Grenville for 
many years, his first commission as ensign, bearing 
date November 24th, 1804, was signed by Peter 
Drummond, Esquire, Lieutenant of the County of 
Grenville. (It thus appears that the old English 
custom of the Crown appointing Lieutenants of 
Counties who had charge of the Militia, prevailed 
for some time in Canada.) His second commission 
of Lieutenant was signed by Sir Isaac Brock, and 
bears date February 2ist, 1812. His third, as 
captain, by Francis Gore, Esquire, Lieut. -Governor, 
is dated October 2oth, 1815. He was in active 
service in the war with the United States of 1812 ; 
in February 1813, was taken prisoner in his own 
house, at which a military post was established, by a 
strong party of the enemy, consisting of Forsyth s 
Riflemen and Dragoons, who crossed upon the ice 
in the night and took them by surprise. There are 
several shot holes still remaining in the ceiling of 
the old house, which have never be repaired. Mr. 
Wells was carried as a prisoner to Ogdensburg, N.Y., 
and shortly after released upon parole not to serve 
until exchanged, which was not effected until May 
ijth, 1814. In a few years after the close of the 
war. he resigned his commission, retiring with the 
rank of captain. He was for many years in the 
Commission of the Peace for. the old District of 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



75 



Johnstown, comprising the Counties of Leeds and 
Grenville, and remained an active Magistrate up to 
his decease. As a business man he was strictly 
honest, industrious, enterprising and uncommonly 
energetic, fearing no danger and ready to undergo 
any hardship, both of which his business as a lum 
berman frequently exposed him to ; and from the 
magnitude of his business operations and the large 
supplies of farm produce required in carrying on 
his numerous lumbering establishments, he created 
a market which was of incalculable advantage to 
the early settlers, by whom he was held in great 
esteem. He was a sincere member of the Church of 
England, but was always ready and willing to con 
tribute to other churches. He died October loth, 
1842, leaving by his wife, Sarah Clough (born October 
29th, 1775 ; died May I5th, 1860), the following 
children : 

(1) Ruth, born February i7th, 1800 ; married 
February i8th, 1824, to George Longley, of 
Maitland, and had children ; (i) William Wells, born 
March 29th, 1825 ; died December 26th, 1844 ; un 
married. (2) George C., born October 29th, 1827 ; 
(3) Sarah Maria, born February 8th, 1835. She died 
October 4th, 1847. 

(2) Sally, born June i6th, 1801 ; married January 
nth, 1826, to George Malloch, of Brockville, and had 
children ; (i) Sarah Ann, born October izth, 1826 ; 
(2) George William, born April 6th, 1828 ; (3) Ruth 
Elizabeth, born July 1829. She died December 

2 5 th > l8 3S- 

(3) Horace Clough, born October 3ist, 1802 ; 
married L. Blasdell, 1832, and had children : William, 
Henry, Sarah, Emily, Lydia, Hiram, Warren, Julia. 

(4) Maria, born October 7th, 1804 ; died January 
1877 ; unmarried. 

(5) William Benjamin, born October 3rd, 1809 ; 
married Mary Hogan 1842, and had children : 
Mary Sarah, Ida, William, Ellen, Victor, Frances, 
Herbert, Clara, Alphonso. 

(6) Isaac Brock, born July 3oth, 1812 ; married 
Elizabeth Reade, May i7th, 1859, and had children : 
William, born March 29th, 1860 ; Thomas Rcade, 
born June 241)1, 1861 ; Ruth, born March 4th, 1866. 

(7) Thomas Proctor, born Febuary 5th, 1816 ; died 
August i5th, 1816. 

(8) Frances Adeline, born August i7th, 1817. 
The descendants of William Wells, the first settler 

in Canada, and his wife, Sarah Clough, now living, 
are in number fifty-one, nearly all resident in 
Canada. 

THE KINCAIU FAMILY. 
Archibald Kincaid was born at Bannockburn, near 

Sliilinv , Scotland, on October .)tli, 1780. lie was 
early apprenticed to the tailoring trade, which, 



having learned he married and started business on 
his own account. In the year 1804, he emigrated to 
America, bringing with him his wife and two 
brothers, John and Alexander, and a small stock of 
goods, with which to establish business in America. 
He came to Upper Canada and settled at the present 
site of Brockville, which was then a wilderness. He 
began working at his trade, taking in exchange for 
work, pork, flour, etc., such things as he could ship to 
Montreal and sell. After being in Canada two 
years, he started to return to Scotland with his 
wife, and was shipwrecked in the Straits of Belle 
Isle, losing all he possessed. After wandering 
about for two years, he again made his way back to 
Upper Canada, and commenced working at his 
trade at Brockville, which then contained but a few 
houses, no streets or clearings having then been 
made. He continued at his business, and, as the 
country became settled, enlarged his trade, by which 
he amassed considerable wealth. After some years, 
having become too feeble to continue his business, 
he removed with one of his sons to Yonge, near 
Farmersville, where he died in the year 1865, aged 
eighty-five years. 

He raised a family often children, three daughters 
and seven sons, of whom there are now but five 
living, the eldest being James Kincaid, who resides 
in Brockville, the other brothers and sisters having 
all settled near Farmersville, where they are en 
gaged in business and farming. 

THE LONGLEY FAMILY, OF MAITLAXD, COUI.TY OF 
GRENVILLE. 

George Longley, the youngest son of William 
Longley, born in 1788, at Newbiggin, County of 
Westmoreland, England, removed to Canada in 
1812, and settled in Quebec, where he entered into 
business as a lumber merchant. He married, Feb 
ruary 1 8th, 1824. Ruth, eldest daughter of William 
Wells, Esq., of Augusta, County of Grenville, Upper 
Canada. He removed to Maitland, Upper Canada, 
in 1826, and carried on an extensive business in 
lumbering, milling, and farming. He was elected 
a member of the Provincial Parliament of Upper 
Canada, for the County of Grenville, in 1828, having 
been previously appointed a Justice of the Peace. 
Mr. Longley took great interest in farming, follow 
ing up all the latest improvements, and was one of 
the first to import a superior breed of cattle into 
Canada. He undertook a voyage to England, in 
1842, for the recovery of his health, but died at 
Gravesend, immediately upon his arrival, on August 
roth, in the same year. By his wife, Ruth Wells 
(she died October 4 lli, 1847), he had the following 
children : 



7 6 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



(1) William Wells Longley, born March 291)1, 1825; 
died December 26th, 1844 ; unmarried. 

(2) Thomas Longley, born November 23rd, 1826 ; 
died the same day. 

(3) George Canning Longley, born October 29th, 
1827; married, June 4th, 1856, Sarah Jane, eldest 
daughter of Robert Hervey, Esq., of Augusta, and 
has children as follows ; (i) Ethel, born April lyth, 
1857 ; (2) William Hervey, born June ist, 1859 ; (3) 
Evelyn, born May 7th, 1864; (4) George Ernest, 
born May i3th, 1866 ; (5) Arthur Raymond, born 
September isth, 1867 ; (6) Robert Reginald, born 
August pth, 1869. 

(4) Sarah Maria Longley, born February 8th, 
1835 ; married, November 27th, 1859, Robert Fan 
ning Harris, second son of the late Rev. Michael 
Harris, Rector of Perth, Ontario, and has children 
as follows : (i) George Michael, born September 
7th, 1860 ; (2) Mary Ruth, born February iQth, 1862; 
died the same day. (3) Lilian, born April I7th, 
1863 ; (4) Robert Walter Kingsmill, born July 2oth, 
1866 ; (5) Florence Jessie, born January I2th, 1872 ; 
(6) Webster Henry Fanning, born December 5th, 
1875. 

THE BROUSF. FAMILY. 

The Brouse family is of German descent, the 
first emigrants to America settling in the Mohawk 
Valley, State of New York. During the revolution 
they remained loyal to the Crown, and on the term 
ination of the war decided to remove to Canada, that 
they might live and die under the old flag. They 
settled in Matilda, on the banks of the St. Lawrence, 
with their relatives, the Shavers and Carmans. As 
the descendants of United Empire Loyalists, they 
have always shown the deepest attachment to British 
institutions, and in all matters relating to the de 
velopment of the country, have invariably taken a 
prominent place, holding by turn many of the offices 
in the gift of the people. 

A DISAPPOINTMENT. 

The following was related by the late Thomas 
McCrea, of the Rideau ; the story is given in his 
own words : 

"The whole of the inhabitants, for miles around, 
had gathered to raise a log house ; at that time it 
took three or four clays to complete the undertaking, 
men being very scarce. On the third day, after the 
last log had been placed in position, a council was 
held, and, after due deliberation and much dis 
cussion, it was decided that the settlement had so 
far advanced in civilization that some of the luxuries 
of life should be procured. Our grist mill consisted 
of the primitive stump and pestle, the meal when 
ground being eaten fr ! .-n bowls with wooden 



spoons. It was decided by the council that I should 
take one and a-half bushels of wheat, carry it from 
the site cf Merrickville to Brockville, exchange it for 
one dozen bowls, one dozen iron spoons, the balance 
to be expended in groceries. With the bag on my 
back I started for Brockville, before the sun was up, 
the road consisting of a winding path through the 
woods, with marks on the trees to show the direction. 
During my journey I was buoyed with the thought 
of the great surprise which was in store for our good 
wives, as the matter had been kept a profound secret 
from them. Never did a minister go out to preach 
thegospel feeling a greater responsibility than I felt 
resting upon myself. I arrived at Brockville on the 
evening of the second day, pretty tired, and the next 
day I exchanged my wheat for a dozen white bowls 
with a blue edge and one dozen iron spoons bright 
as silver, half a pound of cheap tea and the balance 
in fine combs and little things for the children. 
Early next morning, with a light heart, and carefully 
guarding my precious load, I started for home. I 
arrived at North Augusta in the evening, and when 
crossing the stream at that place, on a log, the bark 
gave away and down I fell, some ten feet on the 
stones below, and horror of horrors, broke every one 
of my bowls. Never, never in all my life, did I ex 
perience such a feeling of utter desolation. How to 
go home and meet the expectant people, without the 
bowls, was an ordeal my soul shrank from, but there 
was no help for it. I spent a sleepless night on my 
bed of hemlock boughs, and in the morning pro 
ceeded on my way with a sad heart. I found a few 
of the neighbors at my shanty waiting for me, and 
was greatly relieved when I saw that the loss was 
endured with Christian fortitude." 



CHAPTER XXI. 

SOUTH GOWER. 

THIS township received its name in consequence 
of being a triangular piece of land (gore), hence 
Gower. The following is a summary taken from 
the Assessment Roll of 1877 : 

Number of persons assessed, 235. 

Number of acres assessed, 21,739. 

Number of acres cleared, 8,028. 

Value of real property, $237,475. 

Value of taxable income, $400. 

Value of personal properly, $15,050. 

Amount (if real and personal property, ^252,525. 

Taxes imposed by Municipality, $504. 

Taxes imposed by Counties, $784. 

Expenditure for roads and bridges, $ 1 5o. 

It w.i.s first blocked as a township in 1794, by 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLF. 



77 



Lewis Grant, a Government Surveyor. In 1798, 
Mr. Grant, assisted by William Froster, P. L. S., 
surveyed the first five concessions into lots. Some 
time after, the Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth 
Concessions were surveyed by James West, P. L. S. 

EARLY SETTLERS, PREVIOUS TO 1812-15. 

Among the first settlers were Ensign James Grant, 
Major Peter McAlpine Grant, Samuel Wilson and 
his son James, Denis Barton, John Stanton and his 
son John, Michael Comvay, John Byce and his two 
sons John and David, David Hunter and family, 
consisting of seven sons and three daughters ; Mr. 
Parnell, Peter Jackson, Thomas and Joseph Mc- 
Cargar, the family of Thomas consisting of seven 
sons viz.: Thomas, Robert, Gardner, Hugh, Phi 
lander, Milo, and Barnabas and two daughters, 
Mrs. Benjamin Beach and Mrs. Barton ; David 
Beach and his sons viz.: William, Abraham, David, 
Mahlon, and Benjamin also three daughters ; Ly- 
man Clothier, John Snyder and sons, Major Gideon 
Adams and sons Abel, Samuel, Gideon, William, 
John, and Joseph, also daughters Mrs. Fenton and 
Mrs. Huntington ; Lewis Kilborn, Joab Wood, John 
Luke and sons John, Abel, and Nathan ; John Smith 
and sons David, Peter, and James, and daughters 
Mrs. James Wilson and Mrs. William Adams ; Peter 
Ouackenbosh, Eli Kilborn, Peter Cummin, and sons 
William, Robert, John, and Peter, and daughters 
Mrs. John Gray and Mrs. D. Mclntyre ; Alexander 
Campbell, David Stephenson, Phineas Pelton and 
family of four sons Phineas, Elisha, Elijah and 
four daughters ; Mr. Wilcox and sons Abel, Joshua, 
and Stephen ; Mr. Vanburen, Jacob Bonesteel, Ezra 
Brockway, Mr. Tromblay. 

BIOGRAPHICAL. 

Ensign James Grant, born at Inverness, Scotland, 
1744. Served in Burgoyncs s army. Settled in 
South Govver about 1797. 

Major Peter McAlpine Grant, born in Inverness, 
Scotland ; Ensign of ist Grenville Militia. Captain 
during the War of 1812 ; Major during the Rebellion 
of 1837-8. The Major settled in the township in 
1797, and built the first saw-mill in 1802, on Lot 
No. i, in the jrd Concession. 

It is related that in 1813, the British forces 
stationed at Prcscott were nearly out of supplies, 
when Captain Grant volunteered to take a despatch 
to Brockville. The Americans had landed near the 
i>h:c Church, and taken possession of the pine 
! on the road between ISroekviiie and Prescott. 
\Yhe;i Captain Grant rode up, lie was hailed by the 
sentry posted on the road. The Captain replied, 
" A friend," when he was again challenged. By 
this time, he was close at hand : putting spurs to 



his horse, on he dashed, and soon arrived in Brock 
ville. In the mean time, the enemy, fearing danger, 
retreated to the American shore. 

Samuel Wilcox and his son James, settled first on 
Lot No. 9, in the 3rd Concession, afterwards on Lot 

6, in the 2nd Concession. He kept the first hotel at 
the place now called Heckston ; the Methodists at 
an early date holding services in his house. 

John Smith settled on Lot No. 2, in the 3rd Con 
cession in 1806. He had three sons, David, James 
and Peter. David and Peter served in the war of 
1812-15. About the year 1820, David erected a saw 
mill on the north branch of the Nation River; the 
mill is yet in running order under the management 
of his son, James Smith. 

In the year 1801, David Byce settled on Lot No. 

7, in the 4th Concession. John Byce, who held 
several municipal offices and was a magistrate, 
settled on Lot. No. 7, in the 5th Concession ; David 
Byce, Jr., on Lot. No. 10, in the 4th Concession. 

Phineas Pelton came to Canada from the United 
States in 1801, under the Royal Proclamation, settled 
on Lot No. 6, in the 4th Concession ; his family con 
sisted of four sons and four daughters ; two of the 
sons, Phineas and Elijah, settled in the Township. 
Elijah survives at the age of 83 years. In the war of 
1812, Phineas served as Quarter Master s Sergeant. 
Phineas has filled several municipal offices. 

Major Adams, a half-pay British officer, settled on 
Lot No. 7, in the 2nd Concession, in 1805. As a 
Justice of the Peace, he solemnized marriages. 
The family consisted of six sons and two daughters. 
The sons were ; Samuel, Gideon, William, John, 
Joseph, and Abel. During the Rebellion, Joseph 
commanded a company of horse, and was a gallant 
and efficient officer. John was the captain of an 
infantry company. The daughters were Mrs. Fenton 
and Mrs. Dr. Huntington. 

Lyman Clothier settled on Lot No. u, in the 4th 
Concession. He had four sons Asa, Lyman, Henry 
and John. Asa built the first flour mill in Kempt- 
ville, and was the father of Ambrose Clothier, Esq., 
of that place. 

Thomas and Joseph McCargar, two brothers from 
the north of Ireland, settled on Lot No. i, in the 5th 
Concession, about 1800. They both served in the 
British army during the Revolution. Thomas had 
a family of seven sons, many of whom have held 
important positions in the Counties, all serving in 
1837-;;. Mi!o MiCargar commanded a company at 
the Windmill, and distinguished himself for his 
gallantry. He served in the old Johnstown District 
Council, and was also elected member of Parliament 
for the County of Grenville, in 1840. Thomas 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



McCargar, the eldest son, was an ensign in 1812, 
and a captain in 1837. 

John Snyder, an officer in the British army, 
previous to the Revolution, settled on Lot No. 6, 
in the 5th Concession. He was distinguished for 
his kindness to the poor. His sons were John and 
Henry. 

Joab Wood settled on Lot No. 6, in the ist Con 
cession, in 1797, being one of the first settlers. 
Subsequently he removed to Lot No. T, in the 4th 
Concession. He was compelled to carry his pro 
visions, for some time, on his back, through the 
woods, a distance of 20 miles. 

John Luke settled in 1801, on Lot No. 4, in the 
4th Concession. He was a British soldier. 

Peter Quackenbosh settled on Lot No. 3, in the 
3rd Concession. 

Peter Cummin settled on Lot No. 3, in the 2nd 
Concession. 

Alexander Campbell settled on Lot No. i, in the 
2nd Concession, in 1801. 

David Stephenson settled on Lot No. 2, in the 2nd 
Concession. 

Lewis Kilborn, the first white child born in South 
Gower. 

David Hunter, settled on Lot No. 6, in the 3rd 
Concession. 

A man by the name of Wilcox settled on Lot No. 
6, in the 3rd Concession, and afterward a Frenchman 
named Trambley, who, it is said, raised Bonner s 
celebrated trotter, " Dexter." 

CHURCHES. 

The first church was built by the Presbyterians 
on Lot No. 7, in the 4th Concession (now Pelton s 
Corners), the date being about 1820. The Rev. Robt. 
Boyd, D. D., of Prescott, and the Rev. Mr. Lyle, of 
Osnabruck, officiating. The late Rev. Joseph Ander 
son, M. A., some years after settled in the municipality, 
filling the charge until 1844, when the church passed 
into the hands of the Free Church party. The Rev. 
Mr. Anderson, from his arrival in this country until 
his death, which took place a few years since, took a 
deep interest in public matters, always laboring in 
behalf of the educational interests. He assisted in 
establishing the Grammar School at Kemptville. 
He was, for many years, Chairman of the Board of 
Education, and a Superintendent of Schools ; and 
with truth, may it be said of the deceased : 

" lie was a scholar, and a ripe and good one." 

Always remaining firm in his faith to the Kirk of 
Scotland, he organized congregations at Heckston, 
Mountain, Oxford, and Toledo. The present Reeve 
of the Township is the son of the di-ccriscd clergy 
man. 



The original church is still in use, the pastor being 
the Rev. Mr. Leistman. 

BAPTIST CHURCH. 

The first resident minister was the Rev. D. 
McPhail, who formed a large congregation about 
30 years ago, at Pelton s Corners, where a church 
was erected. 

METHOIMST CHUUCH. 

About 1813, the Rev. Mr. Bamford preached in 
the house of Samuel Wilson, Lot No. 6, in the 2nd 
Concession. About 1817, missionaries came in from 
the United States, and also from England. Among 
the number were the Rev. Messrs. Pope and Cata- 
rock. The latter disagreed with the former upon 
political grounds, and in a short time left for the 
Lower Provinces. It is only about ten years since 
the first Methodist Church was erected in the 
Township at Heckston. 

The first Municipal Council consisted of the fol 
lowing gentlemen : 

Reeve : Nicholas Shaver. 

Councillors : Milo McCargar, James McGee, David 
McGce, David Sheach, and Benjamin Beach. 

Clerk : William Raymond. 

The Council for 1877 is as follows : 

Reeve : James J. Anderson. 

Councillors : Peter Cummin, Jr., John Kennedy, 
John McKay, and William Bennett. 

Clerk : Elijah Pelton, Jr. 



CHAPTER XXII. 
REAR OF YONGE AND ESCOTT. 

WE learn from Arza Parish, Farmersville, that 
the first church built in the Township of Yonge 
proper, was erected at Mallorytown. 

The following is the list of Patents granted in 
Township of Yonge, Front and Rear, up to the 3ist 
of December, 1802 : 

TOWNSHIP OF YONGE BROKEN FRONTS. 



. : 

: 
j 


Lot. 


Name of Grantee. 


Part of Lot. 


J, 

u 
c 

o 

-i; 


Date of Patent. 


i 


1-2 

r 6 


Justus Sherwood 


All 
All 


400 

iff 


May 1st, 1798 
Mar sjrd, 1798 




10 
II 

18 


Daniel I atterson. . . 
1 laniel Mallory. . . 
Hannah McN ish . . . 


All 
K 1 t 
N \V Pt 
NPt 


5 

So 


Mar. 26th, 1798 
June 3oth, 1801 
May Ist, 1798 
Aug. loth, 1801 




2O 
21 


Lemuel Mallory. . . 
Hannah McNish . . . 


W 1-2 

N E Pt 

E 1-2 




May I7lh, 1802 
May 1st, i?<>S 
May I7lh, 1802 




2"* 




W 1-2 




May lyth, 1X02 




27 




] ", 1-2 




May I7th, 1802 












Mar. lylh, 1798 




2 5 


Allan Campbell 


Ft 


243 


Mar. i6tl), 1797 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



79 



TOWNSHIP OF YONGE. (Continued.) 



Lot. 



6 
10 
15 

20 
21 

23 

2 4 

I 

3 

8 

9 

2 3 

2 

7 
5 

2 

8 

i 

15 

I 
3 



Name of Grantee. 



John Whitney 

Daniel Patterson . . . . 

Ashell Wright 

Levy Comstock 

Hannah McNish . . . . 

David Wright 

Amos Wright 

John McDougall 

Samuel Shipman. ..... 

Peter Purvis 

John Cole 



David Hunter 

Thomas Frascr 

David Tuttle 

John Woolly 

Isaiah Cain 

David Hutchinson. . 
Elizabeth Ewighous. 

Jonah Brown 

Hannah Phillips .... 

Joseph Avery 

Joel Parish 

Martin Hewett... 



Part of Lot. 



All 
Pt 

All 
E 1-2 

E 1-2 
W 1-2 

All 

E 1-2 

W 1-2 
W 1-2 

All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
AH 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 



200 
200 



200 
200 
I 7 8 

I-..: 



Date of Patent. 



May 

Mar. 

April 

Aug. 

May 

Dec. 

April 

April 

April 

Aug. 

April 

May 

May 

Mar. 

Mar. 

May 

Mar. 

Mar. 

Mar. 

May 

June 

May 

Feb. 



iyth, 1802 
26th, 1798 
5th, 1797 
loth, 1801 
1st, 1798 
1st, 1797 
I4th, 1798 
2 1st, 1797 
iQth, 1798 
3ist, 1801 
6th, 1798 
1 7th, 1802 
1 7th, 1802 
1 2th, 1797 
26th, 1798 
i-th, 1802 
6th, 1798 
231x1, 1798 
1st, 1797 
1 7th, 1802 
loth, 1801 
I7th, 1802 
loth, 1797 



The first settlers in the Township were Captain 
Benoni Wiltse and William Parish ; the late Adiel 
Sherwood giving Mr. Wiltse as the first settler, while, 
on the other hand, Mr. Arza Parish informs us that 
he has heard his father state that he came into the 
Township in the winter, Mr. Wiltse not arriving 
until the following spring. Both settlers endured 
many privations, the nearest mill being situated at 
Kingston. At one time Wm. Parish and George 
Bates left home with a grist, which they carried to 
Cole s Ferry ; at that point it was placed in a canoe 
and transported to Kingston. On their return to 
the Ferry, the flour was carried on home. The 
entire trip occupied a period of two weeks. 

Among the original settlers, was Joseph Slack, 
originally from the vicinity of Albany, New York. 
Mr. Slack came to Canada with an ox team, with 
which he transported his wife and six children to 
Montreal, the journey occupying six weeks. As a 
United Empire Loyalist, he drew Lot No. 10, in the 
9th Concession of Yonge ; at that time no road had 
been cut from Brockville to Farmersville. He put 
up a shanty on the spot now occupied by the barn 
on the farm of the late Philip Wing. Mr. Slack 
killed upon the farm, known as the Flint farm, one 
mile east of Farmersville, 192 deer, 34 bears and 46 
wolves ; in fact, he was in early days the Nimrod of 
the Township. Joseph Slack built the mill now 
owned by the Messrs. Saunders. He also engaged 
in the manufacture of bull ploughs and ox carts ; he 
bought half of Lot No. 9, for a cart and plough ; 
recently the farm was sold for $9, 750. 

At one time Temperance Mills, at Temperance 
Lake, was an important centre of business. The 
mills were built by Rathiel Judsoii, who subsequently 



disposed of them to a Joint Stock Company ; they 
are now in a state of ruin. 

Walsingham Moore, came to Canada from the 
County of Wexford, Ireland, in 1817, and settled on 
Lot No. 17, in the 8th Concession of Yonge. Mr. 
Moore died June iSth, 1872, at the ripe age of 103 
years. His remains are interred at New Dublin. 
Mr. Moore was accompanied on his voyage to 
America by the original members of the Morris and 
Jacobs families, who settled in the Township at the 
same time. 

The following are inscriptions taken from monu 
ments in the cemetery of the M. E. Church, Farmers 
ville, and will recal many well known but now half 
forgotten residents of the Township : 

James Wiltse, died in 1870 ; aged 84 years. 
Philip Wing, died in 1863 : aged 59 years. 
Phcebe Wing, died in 1874 ; aged 66 years. 
Wm. H. Giles, died in 1876 ; aged 56 years. 
Joseph Slack, died in 1873 ; aged 80 years. 
Aichibald Kincaid, died in 1864 ; aged 84 years. 
Comfort M. Wiltse, died in 1872 ; aged Si years. 
Rev. Peter Bullis, died in 1871 ; aged 52 years. 
Daniel Phillips, died in 1873 ! aged 79 years. 
Peter Brown, died in 1864 ; aged 62 years. 
Joseph Wiltse, died in 1874 ; aged$2 years. 
David Wiltse, died in 1874 ; aged 73 years. 
James Wiltse, died in 1870, aged 84 years. 
Christian Wiltse, died in 1869 ; aged 77 years. 
Edward Parish, died in 1856 ; aged 64 years. 
Chas. Blancher, died in 1868 ; aged 57 years. 

The following is the inscription on the tomb of 
Chauncy H. Bellamy : 

" Chauncey Bellamy Born in Cheshire, Connecticut, 
"27th May, 1790. Came to Canada, January 
"1816. Settled in Yonge in 1830. Erected mills. 
"Did an extensive business. Died March 1866, 
" in the 76 year of his age. 

He was emphatically a man of industry and toil, 
"a friend to the poor, a kind and affectionate 
" husband and father ; his memory will be cherished 
"by those who knew him best." 

The following is a summary of the Assessment 
Roll of the Township for the year 1877 : 

Number of persons assessed, 535. 

Number of acres, assessed, 29,106. 

Number of acres cleared, 12,500. 

Value of real property, 670,972. 

Value of taxable income, $400. 

Value of personal property, $43,860. 

Amount of real and personal property, 714,802. 

Taxes imposed by Municipality, $900. 

Taxes imposed by Counties, $1,144. 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



FARMERSVILLE SCHOOLS. 

For many years past, the Village of Farmersville 
has been known throughout the County of Leeds 
as an educational centre. The consequence has 
been a large increase in the population, and the 
erection of many beautiful residences, giving- the 
place an air of thrift and prosperity most gratifying 
to all who take an interest in the improvement of 
the Counties. 

In the year 1860, the school section caused to be 
erected the Public School House, an elegant and 
commodious stone building, two stories in height, 
and fitted up with the latest improvements, includ 
ing seats, maps, chemical apparatus, etc. The first 
Trustees of the Grammar School were Arza Parish, 
Henry Green, Lemuel Cornell, John Kincaid, James 
Demming, Harmonius Alguire, and Thomas Hayes. 
The first teacher was John B. Holmes, M. A. This 
gentleman had previously opened a select school in 
the village, and to his efforts, in a great measure, 
was due the impetus which was given to educational 
matters. The seed thus planted has borne abundant 
fruit in fact, a score of lawyers, doctors, and other 
professional men, owe their start in life to the 
instuction received from Mr. Holmes. For many 
years, the struggle of the Grammar School was a 
severe one. The building cost over $6,000, which, 
with the annual charges for teachers, pressed 
heavily upon the ratepayers. But little assistance 
was received from the Counties Council. In fact, 
there are few instances in Canada in which the 
people have shown such energy and determination 
as was displayed by the citizens of Farmersville, 
in building up and maintaining their schools. Now 
that the difficulties have been surmounted, it is 
universally conceded that the school has done a 
great work for the County of Leeds, the majority 
of the teachers at the present time engaged in the 
public schools of the county having obtained their 
training at Farmersville. 

In 1878, a contract was given out for the erection 
of a new High School building (see illustration), to 
Mr. Morton Arnold, and by him completed ; the 
structure is of beautiful blue limestone, main building 
44x64 feet, with an entrance 16x24. The facings are 
of white cut stone, the interior containing lecture 
rooms, music hall, library and all the modern con 
veniences. The situation is admirable, commanding 
a view of an extensive stretch of country ; the in 
tention being to make the grounds equal to those of 
any attached to a High School in the Province. The 
Head Master is Allan Bowerman, M. A., a graduate 
of Victoria College. Mr. Bowerman was for three 
years a teacher in the Wesleyan Institute at Win 



nipeg, Manitoba. Since his arrival in Leeds County 
he has done much towards maintaining the de 
servedly high reputation of the school. At the last 
examination for Public School certificates, twenty- 
three of his pupils were successful, several also 
passing the Intermediate Examination. Mr. Holmes 
Eyre, a well known teacher, acts as assistant, having 
charge of the Mathematical Department, a position 
which he is eminently qualified to fill. 

In 1877, a Model School was established in the 
Public School Building at Farmersville, it being the 
only Model School in the County recognized by the 
Counties Council. The Head Master is Isaac S. 
Rowatt, Esq., a gentleman holding a first-class grade 
" A" Provincial certificate. Mr. Rowatt is an ex 
perienced and successful teacher, devoted to his pro 
fession and well deserving of his established repu 
tation. In the Public School (situated in the same 
building), the teachers employed are Miss Beatty and 
Miss Fulton, both well qualified for the positions 
which they hold. 

The schools at Farmersville, from the lowest 
form to the highest grade, offer many inducements 
to parents desirous of giving their children an 
education. The situation is both central and 
healthy, the society moral and exemplary, and the 
village exempt from many of the temptations to 
be found in large towns and cities. Hence it is 
a favotite resort for young ladies and gentlemen, 
who are not content with the instruction given 
in the public schools, but are desirous of securing 
the advantages which may be had in Farmersville 
at a trifling cost. 

The Society of Friends (Quakers) erected one of 
the first churches_in the Township at Farmersville, 
the building, a wooden one, still standing at the 
eastern end of the_ village Previous .to the build 
ing of the church, the Society met for service in the 
cooper shop of Gersham Wing. The following 
list contains the names of the majority of the 
original members of the Society : Lyman Abel, 
James Robeson, Samuel Olds, Turner Lillie, Joseph 
Bullard, Philp Wing, Otis Smith, Thomas Robeson, 
Abraham Palmer, Jedediah Wing, Harvey Derby 
shire, William Church, Gersham Wing. 

THE ALGUIRE FAMILY. 

Daniel Alguire was the son of a United Empire 
Loyalist, who resided near Albany, New York. At 
an early date, Mr. Alguire removed to Canada, 
settling in the vicinity of Cornwall, and serving as 
an artilleryman in the war of 1812-15. In J 8i5, he 
proceeded to the Township of Yonge, settling on 
Lot No. 8, in the 9th Concession, where he died 
February 8th, 1832, in the 52nd year of his age. He 
was the father of eleven children, who were all living 




HIGH SCHOOL, 



( BUII-DING I 



FARMER SVILLE. 










COUNTY MODEL SCHOOL, FARMERSVILLE I 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



81 



at the time of his death. Sons: Harmonius, Daniel, 
Isaac, Simeon, Reuben, Levi and Sterling. Daugh 
ters : Lydia, married William Hamblin ; Elizabeth, 
married Uri Parish ; Melessa, married A. H. Brown ; 
Olive, married William Lamb. 

HARMONIUS ALGUIRE 

was born in Cornwall, December 27th, 1802, came to 
Yonge in 1815, resided for some years at Addison 
and in Kitley, returning to the vicinity of Farmers- 
ville. In the 26th year of his age, he married Jerusha, 
daughter of George Cornell. Mr. Alguire served his 
apprenticeship as a blacksmith with Joseph Pratt, 
and continued at the business until thirty years of 
age, when he engaged in farming upon an extensive 
scale, removing to Farmersville in 1860, where he 
still resides At one time he was the owner of over 
one thousand acres of land in the Township, ex 
clusive of village property. He is the father of nine 
children, three sons and six daughters. Lewis and 
Sarah died in infancy ; Isaac C. ; Reid Burritt ; 
Allura married S. A. Taplin, Esq. ; Eleanor married 
S. B. Williams ; Lydia married L. D. Phillips ; Maria 
married Frank Wiltse ; Selina married J. P. Lamb. 
For many years Mr. Alguire has been one of the 
leading citizens of the County, a prominent member 
of the Liberal Party, serving as Township Councillor 
for ten years, twice representing the Municipality in 
the Counties Council, and also having been a 
member of the District Council. As a Grammar 
School Trustee, he labored with untiring zeal to 
maintain the High School at Farmersville ; and we 
only do Mr. Alguire simple justice by recording the 
fact, that without his assistance Farmersville would 
not have been the educational centre which it is 
to-day. 

Isaac C. Alguire, eldest son of Harmonius, has 
been for seven years a member of the Township 
Council, representing Yonge in the Counties Council 
for three years. He is a High School Trustee. 

Ried Burritt Alguire, educated at the High 
School, matriculated at Albert College, entered the 
mercantile business, has been a member of the 
Council for two years, serving as Deputy Reeve 
in 1878. 

TIIK WII.TSE FAMILY. 

It is supposed that the Wiltse family is of Dutch 
origin, emigrating from Holland about the year 
1624, and arriving in America with the Puritans. 
The following memorandum of the family was 
written by the late Captain Joseph Wiltse, in 1856. 
It will be observed that it commences with an 
account of the family of his grandfather, on his 

father s side. 

ii 



GRANDFATHER WILTSE, ON FATHER S SIDE. 

Jeremiah Wiltse, born October 4th, 1718 ; married 
March i3th, 1744, Mary, his wife, who was born 
October pth, 1721. Children: Thomas, born Octo 
ber 9th, 1745 ; Cornelius, born October 3ist, 1746 ; 
John, born March 3ist, 1748; Hannah, born Feb 
ruary i4th, 1750; William, born July nth, 1751 ; 
Ruth, born July gth, 1753 ; Elizabeth, born May 
i4th, 1755; Benoni, born July 2nd, 1758; Mary, 
born March 19, 1760 ; Phoebe, born July igth, 1761 ; 
James, born March loth, 1764 ; Jeremiah, born Janu 
ary i4th, 1768. 

GRANDFATHER ON MOTHER S SIDE. 

Joseph Marks, born February 2nd, 1720 ; married 
Elizabeth, born October i4th. 1725. Children : 
Joseph, born January 24th, 1748 ; Ebenezer, born 
November 24th, 1750 ; John, born January 3ist, 
1752 ; Experience, born March 24th, 1754 ; Isaac, 
born August 28th, 1756 ; Rachel, born November 
T i r 7S9 ; Comfort, born June 25th, 1762 ; Elizabeth, 
born June loth, 1763 ; Hezekiah, born February 
iSth, 1769. 

FATHER S FAMILY. 

Benoni Wiltse, born July 2nd, 1758 ; married May 
22nd, 1777, Rachel, who was born November ist, 
1759. Benoni died August 28th 1824 ; Rachel, his 
wife, died October isth, 1829. Children : Benoni, 
born December 25th, 1777 ; Joseph, born April I7th, 
1782, Susannah, born April i8th, 1782 twins ; Eliza 
beth, born November 4th, 1784 ; James, born October 
6th, 1786 ; Rachel, born March i8th, 1789 ; Comfort 
M. and Mary, born December 28th, 1790 twins ; 
Hannah, born August loth, 1792 ; Sarah, born Nov 
ember igth, 1794 ; William, born August 2gth, 1797 ; 
Philip M., born September 3oth, 1799. 

CAPTAIN JOSEPH WILTSE S FAMILY. 

Joseph Wiltse, born April i7th, 1782. His first 
wife was Drusilla, born February iSth, 1787 ; mar 
ried February I3th, 1803. Children : Rachel, born 
January 3oth, 1804 ; Deborah, born June 3<3th, 1806 ; 
Susannah, born November 5th, 1808 ; William, born 
April i8th, 1811; Majilda, born June i6th, 1814; 
Hannah, born March I2th, 1817 ; Maitland, born 
January gth, 1820 ; Charles, born April I3th, 1822 ; 
Barnabas, born November 4th, 1824 ; Drusilla, born 
September gth, 1827. His first wife, Drusilla, died 
September gth, 1827. 

Married second wife, May 7, 1829. Children : 
John, born July loth, 1830 ; Benoni, born October 
2gth, 1833 ; Jane, born March I4th, 1835 ; Ruth, born 
May 30th, 1837. 



82 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



JOHN WILTSE. 

Among the most successsul farmers of the County 
is Mr. John Wiltse, residing on part of Lot No. 13, 
8th Concession, Rear of Yonge. He was born in 
1830, and married, in 1851, to Loretta, daughter of 
James Wiltse, of the same township. Mr. Wiltse is 
the son of Captain Joseph Wiltse, for many years a 
leading citizen of this portion of the Province ; he 
died at the residence of his son (John) in 1874, at 
the ripe age of 92 years. Captain Benoni Wiltse, 
father of Captain Joseph Wiltse, came to Canada, 
from the vicinity of Albany, New York, about the 
year 1784, settling on the bank of the St. Lawrence, 
below Brockville, and afterwards removing to 
Yonge. On the farm of Mr. Wiltse is the primitive 
causeway mentioned in the first chapter of this work. 
Mr. Wiltse has six children : Irvvin, born in 1852 ; 
resides in Newboro ; married a daughter of William 
Freeland, of that place. Sarah, born 1856 ; married 
J. F. Gallagher, of Newboro . Sabra, born 1858 ; 
Susan, born 1860 ; Isabel, born 1863 ; Adda, born 
1867. 

DUNCAN FISHER. 

The subject of this sketch was born in Bathurst, 
County of Lanark, in 1839. His father, Donald 
Fisher, a native of Perthshire, Scotland, settled in 
Bathurst in 1818, where he still resides. Mr. Fisher 
married, in 1862, Ellen, daughter of Alexander 
Mitchell, of Kingston, a Scotchman from Edinburgh. 
At Farmersville, Mr. Fisher has established an 
extensive carriage manufactory, at the present time 
doing a large business, which is constantly increas 
ing. During the past season, he erected upon his 
premises an elegant brick dwelling, a view of which 
is given. He is a leading member of the Canada 
Methodist Church, and has always been known as 
a warm supporter of the cause of temperance. He 
has four children : Alison A., born December gth, 
1863 ; Ella B., born October 8th, 1865 ; Charles D., 
born August 24th, 1867 ; Arthur E., born December 
4th, 1876. 

JOHN KINCAID. 

John Kincaid was born in Brockville, in iSio. He 
married, in 1839, Lodema, daughter of the late 
Comfort Wiltse, by whom he had ten children, nine 
of whom are now living. Three daughters and one 
son reside in Cass County, Iowa ; one son in 
Chicago, one daughter in Smith s Falls, and the 
remaining children in Leeds County. He settled 
on the farm he now occupies, consisting of three 
lots in the 7th and 8th Concessions of Rear of 
Yonge, in 1840. His father, Archibald Kincaid, 
emigrated from Scotland in 1800, settling in Brock 
ville ; he died in 1864, in the 85 th year of his age. 



While County Councillor, Mr. Kincaid was instru 
mental in procuring the establishment of the 
Farmersville High School. 

THE BATES FAMILY. 

Munsell R. Bates now resides on a farm of some 
230 acres, comprising part of the 3rd Lot of the 8th 
Concession of the Rear of Yonge, and other lands. 
He was born in 1821, and married in 1851 a daughter 
of John Brown, by whom he has one son, James (born 
in 1853.) His residence, shown in illustration, was 
the home of his grandfather, George Bates, who re 
moved to Canada from Niscanny, New York, near 
the Connecticut line, in the year 1791, and took up 
715 acres of land in the Rear of Yonge, the greater 
portion of which is still owned by his grandsons, 
Munsell R. Charles B. and George Murray Bates, Jr. 
George Bates was born in 1766, and married in 1787, 
the maiden name of his wife being Patience 
Churchill, born in 1768. Mr. Bates died in 1840, his 
wife surviving him 18 years. He had fourteen 
children, eleven of whom lived to a mature age. 
Ezra Bates, born in 1792, died some years ago in the 
west, leaving a large family, none of whom reside in 
the United Counties. James Bates, born in 1793, 
settled on the homestead and died in 1855, leaving 
eleven children, nine of whom reside in Leeds 
County. Sarah, wife of Samuel Shipman, born in 
1797, died in 1822, and her twin sister, Elizabeth, 
wife of Dwight Giffin, died in 1854. Eleanor, born 
in 1799, married in 1819, Sterling Deming, a farmer, 
residing near Farmersville, and died in 1844, leaving 
eight children. One son, James Deming, was a 
widely known merchant of that village ; he died in 
1862. None of her living children are now in the 
County, except Graves Deming, of Lyn. Joshua 
Bates, born in 1801, was for many years a leading 
citizen of Leeds County. He took an active part in 
the construction of the Brockville and Ottawa 
Railway, in which he sank a large fortune ; he died 
at his residence, Smith s Falls, in 1864. George 
Murray Bates, born in 1805, married in 1830, Betsey 
Blanchard, by whom he had five children. His son, 
Charles B. Bates, born in 1832, resides on part of 
Lots No. 2 and 3, in the 7th Concession. He has 
been twice married, having seven children, four by 
his second wife. George Murray married a daughter 
of James Brown, and occupies the homestead. A 
daughter, Amanda M. is the wife of Thomas Empey, 
of Easton s Corners. A second daughter is the wife 
of Seaman Manhard, of Brockville. Two children 
of Martin, another son of George Bates, reside in 
the Counties, Edwin Bates of Maitland, and Louisa- 
wife of Alanson Baken of Yonge. Ninyan Bates, 
born in 1809, died in 1868, leaving several children, 
Mary Jane, a daughter, being the wife of S. S. South- 



^1 

"V 

HiL 





RESIDENCE OF J. G . GILES , M.D . NEA.R FARMER SVILLE 





Davidson, Wlielan &. Younger, Lift.. "Montreal. 

RESIDENCE OF MRS. J. DE LONG, NEAR ELGIN. 







RESIDENCE AND MILL OF I. B. SAUNDERS, FARMERSVILLE. 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



worth, Brockville ; Edward Bates (son), of the Post 
Office Department, Ottawa. Two daughters of 
George Bates still survive, Mrs. Patience Cromwell 
of Woodstock, and Mrs. Olive Cameron of Ganan- 
oque, their respective ages are 75 and 66 years. 

SIDNEY A. TAPLIN. 

Among the successful merchants of Leeds County, 
not one occupies a higher position than the subject 
of this sketch. From first to last his career has been 
successful, honestly achieved by untiring energy and 
perseverance. Sidney A. Taplin, son of Henry 
Taplin, of Elizabethtown, was born in 1829 ; married 
in 1850, the eldest daughter of Harmonius Alguire, 
Esq., by whom he has six children. At an early age 
he entered the store of Robert Peden, Esq., where he 
acquired a thorough knowledge of the mercantile 
business. In 1851, he commenced business for him 
self at Phillipsville. In 1861, he purchased the 
business stand and farm from Wellington Landon, 
Esq., Farmersville, removing at once to that place, 
where he has since resided. He is a prominent 
Liberal, and has been frequently urged by his friends 
to offer himself as a parliamentary candidate. For 
several years he represented the Rear of Yonge as 
Reeve, in which position he was known as the 
champion of educational interests in the Counties 
Council. In 1875, he erected the elegent shop shown 
in illustration. 

JEREMIAH WILTSE. 

The subject of this sketch occupies a farm of 100 
acres on Lot No. 13, gth Concession of Rear of 
Yonge. He was born at Farmersville, May 27th, 
1828 ; and married in 1861, to Adeline, daughter of 
Samuel Denby, of Yonge. Mr.Wiltse is a descendant 
of the first actual settler of the township. His 
grandfather was James Wiltse, brother of Captain 
Benoni Wiltse, who, with William Parish, located 
the first land and built the first log cabins in Yonge 
and Escott Rear. His father, Henry Wiltse, held a 
deed of the west half of Lot No. 13, his grandfather 
James holding the east half. Mr. Wiltse has three 
children : Lily, born March 26th, 1863 ; Eber, born 
February 22nd, 1865 ; and Carrie, born April iQth, 
1867. 

THE GILES FAMILY. 

William Giles was born at Clone House, in the 
County of Wexford, Ireland, in 1789 ; came to 
America in 1811, and settled at Utica, New York, 
where he commenced the manufacture of saddles. 
During the war of 1812, he became disgusted with 
the treatment given by Americans to British soldiers, 
who had been taken prisoners, and. In consequence, 
closed his business and removed to Canada, arriving 



in Brockville, May 1813. Shortly after his arrival, he 
purchased the farm now occupied by his son, J. G. 
Giles, M.D., and proceeded to erect the front part of 
the house, shown in the accompanying sketch, it 
being the fourth frame house built in Leeds back of 
Brockville. Soon after settling, he married Sarah 
Richards, also from the County of Wexford, and re 
sumed the harness business. Mr. Giles was a man 
of culture, a great reader and a fine musician, a Con 
servative in politics, but strongly adverse to public 
life. He died in his 78th year, breathing his last, July 
i3th, 1867 ; his wife having died February z8th, of 
the same year. 

Mr. Giles was the father of eight children, six of 
whom survived him. His son, William H. Giles, 
succeeded him in the harness business at Farmers 
ville, He was an active Justice of the Peace. He 
died in August, 1876. 

Two sons, Richard and James, reside in New 
York, where they have been engaged in the import 
ing and jobbing trade for years. 

One of the daughters married George B. Glass- 
ford, Esq., Deputy-Registrar of Leeds ; the other 
married John A. Teskey, woolen manufacturer, of 
Appleton, Lanark. 

The present occupant of the homestead, John G. 
Giles, M. D., graduated at Queen s College, Kings 
ton, in 1861. In addition to the duties of his 
profession, he takes a lively interest in agricultural 
pursuits, and has for many years been a member of 
the Township Council and High School Board. A 
Conservative in politics, he represented the South 
Riding of Leeds in the Local Legislature for two 
sessions, the unexpired term caused by the resigna 
tion of H. S. McDonald, Esq.; who was appointed 
Judge. Dr. Giles holds a commission as Captain in 
the Militia. 

JAMES B. SAU.XUERS. 

Mr. Saunders was born in St. Lawrence County, 
New York, in 1843, his father, Mr. William Saunders, 
emigrating from Scotland to St. Lawrence County 
in 1842, removing to the Township of Yonge the 
following year, and locating at Buell s Mills. Mr. 
Saunders, in connection with his father, carries on 
the milling business, about three-fourths of a mile 
east of Farmersville. He has held in succession the 
following public offices : Member of the Township 
Council, Deputy-Reeve, and member o the High 
School Board, at the present time representing the 
municipality as Reeve. For many years lie has been 
a prominent member of the Masonic Society, acting 
as Master of Rising Sun Lodge. 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



CHURCHES. 

CANADA METHODIST CHURCH, FARMERSVIU.E. 
This church is a substantial stone structure, erected 
in 1863, by Mr. George Nash, who was an active pro 
moter of the undertaking. The main building is 
56x38 feet, with a tower 14 feet square and 52 feet in 
height, surmounted by a fine spire. The auditorium 
is well fitted up with comfortable sittings, the base 
ment being used as a lecture room. The con 
gregation is large and the membership about one 
hundred. 

M. E. CHURCH, FARMERSVILLE. 

This church was erected in 1842 ; it is constructed 
of blue limestone, is 40x50 feet in area, and is 
situated on part of Lot 13, the 8th Concession of 
Yonge. The contract was given to the late Joshua 
Bates, who completed the building to the satisfaction 
of the original Trustees, viz : Jabez Bullis, Sterling 
Deming, Reuben Mott, Palmer Lee, Simeon 
Alguire, John Brown and Comfort M. Wiltse. 

In 1867, a very handsome tower was erected by 
the following Committee : Harmonius Alguire, John 
Wiltse, M. R. Bates, Sala Blancher and William T. 
Howe. The church has recently been thoroughly 
repaired. 

CHARLESTON LAKE. 

DUFFIELD S HOTEL. 

"A thing of beauty is a joy forever," and well 
may this trite saying be applied to Charleston Lake, 
a beautiful sheet of water situated nineteen miles 
from Brockville, and five miles from the Village of 
Farmersville. Leeds County boasts many inland 
lakes, but Charleston is pre-eminently queen of all. 
At a very early date its beauty was recognized, and 
in 1816, we find the Rev. William Smart writing a 
glowing description of the scenery, now so well 
known and thoroughly appreciated. At that time, 
Blue Mountain was the home of a vast number of 
bears and wolves, while the borders of the lake 
afforded pasturage for deer in almost unlimited 
numbers. The wolves have been exterminated, 
Bruin is but seldom met with, the deer have been 
driven into the interior, but the lake remains in all 
its pristine beauty, fresh as from the hand of the 
Creator. Studded with islands, clothed with the 
primeval forest, it sits laughing in the sunshine, 
with varying mood, but always beautiful. Blue 
Mountain crowns the scene, looking down with 
solemn grandeur, upon the sparkling waves that 
lave its feet. In all Canada, it challenges an equal. 
Its picturesque shores, its broken islets, its cool, 
refreshing bays, its high rocks and natural caverns 
all must be seen, to be appreciated. The crystal 



waters are the home of the finny tribe, affording the 
best sport for the angler in Central Canada. Salmon, 
white fish, bass (black, rock, and Oswego), moonfish, 
and the other varieties of fish found in Canadian 
lakes, are taken in great quantities. 

At Charleston, on the margin of the lake, Mr. 
Edward Duffield keeps a comfortable hotel, where 
visitors are provided for in a kind and hospitable 
manner. Boats, fishermen, and all the requisites 
for a day s sport, can always be secured from Mr. 
Duffield. 

Through the enterprise of Joshua Bates, Esq., 
Farmersville was rapidly changed from a country 
four corners to a thriving village, the building of 
Bates Mills accelerating the progress. Wellington 
Landon, Esq., while a citizen of the Municipality, 
also contributed in a material manner to the ad 
vancement of the village. 

It is claimed that Ezra Bates, born on Lot No. 10, 
in the 7th Concession of Yonge, was the first white 
child born in that portion of the Township. 

For many years past, Mrs. Barnes, better known 
as " Mother Barnes," has attracted many visitors to 
her residence, near Lake Loyada. Her fame as a 
"fortune teller" has spread beyond the confines of 
the Province to the Lower Provinces and the United 
States. From the examination of a few grounds of 
tea, she professes to be able to read the past, reveal 
the present and forecast the future. Unlike many 
modern soothsayers, she possesses a local reputation 
which time has not diminished. It is no exaggeration 
when we state that thousands upon thousands have 
visited the Sybil, some departing with the word 
"humbug" upon their lips, others half-doubting and 
many firm in the faith that only a knowledge super 
human could have unfolded the secret history of 
their lives. 

As the central figure for another " Strange Story, 
Mrs. Barnes would be pre-eminently qualified to 
play the part of clairvoyant, mind reader, or sorce 
ress. Those best acquainted with the answers given 
to the many anxious questions propounded by 
visitors, have long since concluded that High 
Priestess of the Modern Delphic Oracle would be 
the most appropriate designation. That she has 
chosen the borders of a beautiful lake, instead of 
the foot of Parnassus, as her place of residence, 
will not shake the faith of those who, in every age 
and clime, have been consumed with a curiosity that 
would at least attempt to lift the veil which shrouds 
the future. A vein of superstition lingers in the 
minds even of modern philosophers, and with the 
populace it can have no more harmless outlet than 
in consulting the well known " Fortune Teller of 
Plum Hollow." 




DUFFLELD S HOTEL, CHARLESTON LAKE. 







RE.SIDE.NCE OF GEORGE TENNANT, ESQ. MALLORYTOWN. 





ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH , WESTPORT. 






HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH IN WESTPORT ITS 

EARLY HISTORY AND PROGRESS. 
IT would be next to impossible, in the small space 
afforded in the present work, to give a full and 
accurate account of the early history and progress 
of the Catholic Church in this portion of the County. 
To do full justice to the subject would require quite 
a volume in itself. Looking over its past and 
present picture, one can scarcely realize how so 
much could have been accomplished in so limited 
a period. 

Prior to the year 1847, occasional visits were made 
by neighboring priests, to attend to the spiritual 
requirements of the few scattered Catholic families, 
when the Rev. J. V. Foley was appointed as the 
first resident Pastor of the Westport Missions 
(composed of the townships of North and South 
Crosby, Bedford, Olden, Oso, and Hinchinbrooke), 
to attend to the spiritual wants of a people who, at 
that time, were not overburdened with the goods 
of this world. But though poor in means, still they 
were otherwise rich : they possessed good will the 
key that unlocks every difficulty, and accomplishes 
wonders. 

At that time, there was no church where people 
could assemble together. The standing forests had 
first to be cleared. The united efforts of stout 
hands and brave hearts that came from foreign 
lands were required to give us the parishes and 
stately churches that to-day constitute the brightest 
ornament of our young Dominion, Father Foley, 
after accepting the direction of this Mission, applied 
himself to the fulfilment of so great a charge one 
well calculated to tax all his zeal and courage. For 
some time, the consolations of religion were had in 
humble dwellings, at distances to accommodate the 
families of the small and scattered settlements. At 
length an effort was made to erect a church on the 
mountain, four miles from Westport. This building, 
known as the " Mountain Church," was constructed 
of logs, at that time considered a luxury. The 
road leading to it for some distance was a mere foot 
path through the woods, and years elapsed before a 
carriage road was made. This rude and humble 
chapel was, Sunday after Sunday, filled with a 
devout congregation, all performing the journey 
on foot, over distances of ten and twelve miles. 

Later on, a church of more pretensions was 
erected in Bedford, close to the boundary line of 
North Crosby. But trials will come. How great 
was the grief of these poor, industrious people to 
find the building, which they had only raised up, 
falling a prey to the flame, and tendering all their 
exertions fruitless. They were now in a worse state 



than the first. But the cheering voice of their 
Dastor was heard, and with redoubled energy the 
work was again commenced, and another building 
rected on the same spot. 

Thus, for several years, the Rev. J. V. Foley 
administered to the every day increasing wants 
of the people, alternately between the Mountain 
and Bedford Churches. It would be difficult to 
describe the trials and hardships which their 
reverend pastor had to meet with in the discharge 
of these onerous duties. At all seasons in heat 
and cold the wants of this growing congregation 
found a place in the heart of their pastor. 

In 1852, the church property in Westport was 
purchased, and a handsome parochial residence 
erected. The good seed that was thus sown, 
did not fail to produce the most abundant fruits. 
The people, as the years advanced, advanced also, 
spiritually and materially. It was at length in 
contemplation to build a large stone church in 
Westport one that would unite the scattered 
congregations, and, at the same time, be an honor 
to the young and promising parish. But how could 
it be accomplished ? To attempt the erection of 
so large a structure, seemed but a dream of the 
future. A stirring appeal was made to the people 
by their pastor. The well known voice of him who 
was with them in their early struggles and sacrifices 
was cheerfully responded to. Their good will, 
which was but a slender plant in the past, was a 
promising one it had increased in growth. With 
one mind and one heart, headed by their pastor, the 
spot was chosen ; and, with becoming pomp and 
ceremony, the corner-stone was laid August 3151, 
1859, by the late Bishop Horan, of Kingston, 
amidst a vast concourse of the faithful. Soon 
after, the walls were raised, the building roofed in, 
and the Cross planted on the tower of the present 
church of Westport (dedicated to St. Edward, King 
and Confessor.) 

The joy of the good people may be more easily 
imagined than described, when for the first time 
they assembled within its walls to adore their 
Creator. Many and great were the sacrifices made 
by priest and people ; receiving help from those of 
other creeds. Happily, amongst all classses and 
denominations in this community, the utmost 
harmony and Christian charity have ever reigned. 
Thus was this great undertaking realized. The 
Catholics of this parish have to-day a church, which 
older congregations possessing ample means, might 
well feel proud of. The position is a commanding 
one. Built on the gentle slope of a hill, it meets the 
eye of the traveller from whatever direction Westport 
is approached. Its beautiful white stone and rich 



86 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



Gothic proportions, render it most imposing in point 
of architecture. The good people of the parish now 
look back with pleasure on their sacrifices in the 
past. Whilst proud of their church, they will 
never forget their devoted pastor, the Rev. J. V. 
Foley, who, in the face of numerous difficulties, 
undertook so great a work, which stands as the fruit 
of his zeal and the crowning monument of a people 
possessed of good will in the cause and advance 
ment of their religion. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

WOLFORD. 

WHEN the settlement along the banks of the Rideau 
River began, Wolford received its quota of new 
settlers, and soon occupied a prominent place in 
the rear of the County of Grenville. 

The following list contains the Patents granted 
in the municipality up to the jist day of December, 
1802 : 

TOWNSHIP OF WOLFORD. 
BROKEN FRONTS. 



d 

c 
- 

H 
I) 
B 
B 

B 

A 
A 
A 

A 
A 

A 
A 
A 
A 
A 


Lot. 


Name of Grantee. 


Part of Lot. 


t/5 

<u 

o 

< 


Date of Patent. 


301 
3) 
6 

13 
1 

,01 

" J 

12 
13 

IS 
18-19 

2 5 
26 

28 


William Davis 


All | 

All 
All 
Inclg. 13 in A 
All 
All 
All 1 

El-2 / 

All 
All 
Inclg. 13 inB 
Pt 
AH 
All 
All 
All 


2OO 

IOO 

200 

2 3 8 
IOO 

300 

200 
200 

IOO 

2OO 
2OO 
2OO 


May 1 7th, 1802 

July 1 4th, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 

June 30th, 1801 
July I4th, 1802 

May I7th, 1802 

May 1 7th, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 

June 30th, 1801 
Aug. 1 2th, 1798 
May I7th, 1802 
May I7th, 1802 
[une 30th, 1801 


Elizabeth Bickham . . . 
David Shipman, Jr.. . . 

Reuben Sherwood 
Elizabeth Beckham.... 

Caleb Henderson 
Albert French 


David Shipman, Jr.. .. 

James Chambers, Jr. . . 
Lieut. Richard Arnold 
Joseph Haiskins 
Dean Carleton . 






i 

2 

3 


i 
3 

10 

ii 

12 
13 

IS 
23-24 
25-26 

3 

i 

2 

4 
6 

7 
13 
H 
IS 
19 

20 

27 

I 

3 

1 
7-8 

3 
18 

19 


Jonathan Black 


All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 

All 

All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 

N 1-2 

All 
All 
All 
All 

All 

All 

All 


200 
200 
200 
200 
200 
200 
2OO 

800 

2OO 
ZOO 
200 
200 
200 
200 
200 
200 
2OO 
200 
2OO 
IOO 

20O 
2OO 
200 
4 00 
200 

2OC 
2OC 


May I7th, 1802 
May I7th, 1802 
une 3oth, 1801 
June 3oth, 1801 
May 20th, I So I 
May 20th, 1801 
May loth, 1801 

June loth, 1801 

June loth, 1801 
May I7th, 1802 
Nov. 25th, 1802 
Nov. 25th, 1802 
May zoth, 1801 
May 2oth, 1801 
May 2oth, 1801 
May 1 7th, 1802 
May 20th, 1801 
May 1 7th, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 
May I7th, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 
Nov. 251)1, 1802 
Dec. ist, 1802 
May I7th, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 
Aug. 1 2th, 1798 
Aug. loth, 1801 
Nov. 251)1, 1802 


Patience Wilisey 


John Snider 


Peter Snider 


Roger Moore 


Dudley Moore, Jr 
John Burton . 


Richard Arnold . 


Richard Arnold 


Reuben Landon 


Anne Tryon 


51eazer Fairchild 
rfargaret Patterson . . . 
Elizabeth Furguson.. , . 
3arnabas Nettleton.. . . 
William Richardson. . . 
Nancy Fulford.. 


Abigail Baldwin 
Anne Campbell 
ibenezer Allen 
<euben Landon .... 


Lydia Livingston.. 


ttagdalen Weatherhead 
Mary Losee . . . 


Walter Sutherland .... 
Jenjamin French 

-lent. Henry Arnold. . 
fane Elliot 



TOWNSHIP OF WOLFORD (Continued.) 



I 

- 

o 


Lot. 


Name of Grantee. 


Part of Lot. 


i 

o 

< 


Date of Patent. 


6 

7 
8 


20 

26 
28 
5 
i? 
18 

19 

20 
27 
29 
30 

6 
6 
16 
,8> 

i9J 

20 
21 
23 
24 
25 
II 
12 
13 
14 
IS 
17 

18 

9 

20 
22 
24 
25 
27 

3 

8 
10 
18 
19 

23) 

24 
25) 
30 

18 

19 

20 

22 
4-25 
27 

9-3 


Henry Arnold 


All 
All 
All 
All 

All 

All 

All 

S 1-2 
N 1-2 
Sl-2 

All 
All 

All 
All 

All 

All 

All 

All 
A.11 
All 
All 

All 

S 1-2 

N Pt 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 

All 

All 
W Pt 
Inclg. 19 
All 
nclg. WptiS 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 


200 
2OO 
200 
200 

800 

2OO 
300 

100 

100 
200 

400 

200 
200 
200 

400 

2OO 
2OO 
2OO 
2OO 
200 

600 

IOO 

78 
200 
20O 
2OO 
2OO 
20O 
OO 
OO 

OO 
OO 

00 
00 

OO 

50 


Aug loth, 1801 

June 3oth, 1801 
May 2Olh, 1801 
June 30th, 1801 

Aug. 1 2th, 1798 
Aug. loth, 1 80 1 

May i;th. 1802 
June 3oth, 1801 

May 2oth, 1801 
May lyth, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 
Aug. 1 2th, 1798 
Aug. loth, 1801 
May I7th, 1802 
Dec. 3 1st, 1802 
May loth, 1801 
Aug. 1 2th, 1798 
Aug. loth, 1 80 1 
May 1 7th, 1802 
VI ay 1 7th, 1802 
May I7th, 1802 
May I7th, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 

[une 3oth, 1801 

une 3oth, 1801 
une 3oth, 1801 
une 3oth, 1801 
une 30th, 1801 
une 30th, 1801 
May I7th, 1802 
Hay I7th, 1802 
rfay 1 7th, 1802 
^ov. 25th, 1802 
rfay I7th, 1802 
une loth, 1801 

)ec. 2nd, 1 802 

une 3oth, 1801 
rfay 1 7th, 1802 

May 1 7th, 1802 

May I7th, 1802 
une 3Oth, 1801 
May i ?th, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 
une 30th, 1801 


John Wiltsey. , . 


Catherine Nicklinson . . 
James Mattice 


Lieut. Henry Arnold. . 
Thomas Moore. . . 


Pierre M. Fortier. ... j 

Silvester Wright 
Thomas Wood. 


Richard Arnold 


Lieut. Henry Arnold . . 
Richard Arnold 


Jabez Spicer. . 


Francis Hamblin 


Lieut. Henry Arnold . . 

lelche Hazelton 
^osanna Thompson. . 
Desire Brown 


tester Brackenridge. . 
Olive Bishop 

Elizabeth Howard .... 
Stephen Howard.. 


ohn Howard 


)yer Howard . . 


Peter Howard . . 


lercy Wright , 


Aaron Klliott. . 


Elizabeth Trumbell.. . . 
Robert Leakey 


Hannah Jacocks . . . 


David John 


Vancy McLaren .... 


ohn Baker ( 


Elizabeth Landon. . 


Daniel Shipman. . . . 
Janiel Shipman 


Walter Sutherland 
Asa Landon, Jr 


David John .... 


David John 


Asa Landon, Jr 



Through the kindness of the present Township 
Clerk, the following memorandum has been secured 
for publication. It contains the names of all the 
inhabitants who resided in Wolford on the first day 
of May, 1802 : 

Joseph Haskins, Sr., Elizabeth Haskins, Joseph 
Haskins, Jr., Benjamin Barber, Sr., Lorania Barber, 
David Barber, Benjamin Barber, Jr., Elizabeth 
Omsted, Lorania Omsted, Ephraim Omsted, Kelly 
Omsted, Thankful Omsted, Nicholas Haskins, 
Hannah Haskins, Anise Haskins, John Butterfield, 
Miriam Butterfield, Sally Butterfield, Olive Butter- 
field, Cooley Weller, Abigail Weller, Elijah Weller, 
Obadiah Weller, Hiram Weller, Benjamin Weller, 
Thomas Weller, Lucinda Weller, William Brown, Sr., 
William Brown, Jr., Chloe Brown, Erastus Brown, 
Reuben Brown, Jepe Brown, John Brown, Joseph 
Knapp, Molly Knapp, Jedediah Omsted, Olive 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



Omsted, Samuel Omsted, Henry Omsted, Samuel 
Street, Phoebe Street, Polly Street, John Street, 
Timothy Street, Peter Street, Betsey Street, Joseph 
Easton," Sr., Mahitabel Easton, William Easton, 
Sally Easton, Roderick Easton, Hartley Easton, 
John Axley, Stephen Bizneth, William Davis, Sr., 
William Davis, Jr., Margaret Davis, Powell Davis, 
John H. Davis, Asa Moerton, John Roach, Sr., 
Elizabeth Roach, William Roach, John Roach, Jr., 
Margaret Roach, David Mattason, Parks Putnam, 
Moses Shatford, Ennice Shatford, Eleanor Shatford, 
Rachael Shatford, Eliza Shatford, Polly Shatford, 
Thomas Shatford, Richard Powers, Sally Powers, 
Alvin Powers, Arethusa Powers, Calvin Powers, Orra 
Pamele, Emila Pamele, Polly B. Pamele, Fanny Julia 
Pamele, Job Andrews, Hannah Andrews, Samuel 
Andrews, Polly Andrews, Stephen Andrews, Charlotte 
Andrews, Lydia Leehi, Elizabeth Leehi, Gideon 
Leehi, Tabitha Hutton, Elizabeth Mutton, Jennie 
Hutton, Joseph Hutton, William Hutton, George 
Hutton, Samuel Rose, Sr., Charlotte Rose, Samuel 
Rose, Jr,, John Rose, James Lake, Hannah Lake, 
Thomas Lake, Catherine Lake, Jepe Lake, James S. 
Lake, Abraham Lake, Nicholas Lake, Henrietta 
Lake, Margaret Phillips, Robert Biccum, Elizabeth 
Biccum, Anna Biccum, Margaret Biccum, John 
Biccum, William Biccum, David Hardy, Conrod 
Derrick, John McFarlin, Elijah Steel, Henry Steel, 
Reuben Steel, Lucy Steel, Anson Steel, Ira Steel, 
Joel Smades, Nelly Smades, Charity Smades, Else 
Smades, Abraham Smades, William Smades, Ben 
jamin Smades, Rachael Smades, Nathan Brown, 
Mary Brown Jean Brown, Margaret Brown, Samuel 
Lakins, David Burley, David H. Felton, Rebecca 
Felton, A. H. Felton, Sophia Felton, Israel Tomp- 
kins, Rebecca Tompkins, George Tompkins, Jesse 
Tompkins, Nathan Tompkins, Samuel Tompkins. 

The settlement of the Township was placed in the 
hands of Joseph Easton, Mr. Easton and Joseph 
Haskins being the first actual settlers. Among the 
very early settlers were the following : William 
Davis, William H. Easton, Elijah Easton, Roderick 
Easton, Harley Easton, John Roach, Moses Strat 
ford, James Covell, Archibald Gilchrist, Daniel 
Cross, Benjamin Barber, Cooley Weller, and Rev. 
William Brown. 

From John C. Davis, Esq., we learn that the first 
school house was built on McMullen s Corner, near 
Easton s Corners. 

The first church was the old Wolford Chapel, two 
and a-half miles northwest of Easton s Corners. 
The Rev. William Brown was one of the first min 
isters who settled in the township. The second 
church was built at Merrickville, and shortly after 
the English Church was erected at Easton s Corners. 



At the present time, the township contains the fol 
lowing churches : The Old Chapel, the English, 
Method 1st Episcopal and Canada Methodist Churches 
at Easton s Corners ; the Methodist Episcopal and 
Canada Methodist Churches, at Irish Creek. 

The original survey of the Township was made in 
1795. Shortly after the survey was completed, the 
Easton family drew one thousand acres of land, in 
the vicinity of Easton s Corners. For many years 
they were among the most enterprising settlers, and 
did much towards improving and developing the 
Township. 

From Mr. Rose, of Rose Bridge, the following 
account of the early settlement of Wolford, Mon 
tague, Oxford, and Marlborough, is derived, these 
townships for some years being considered as one 
municipality : 

About the year 1792, a few settlers found their 
way to Oxford, from the banks of the St. Lawrence, 
by what was known as the Lower Road, leaving the 
vicinity of the windmill below Prescott, and striking 
the Rideau in the neighborhood of Burritt s Rapids. 

For many years, clothing was very scarce, and 
hemp was raised in considerable quantities, to 
supply the place of cotton and woolen goods. 
Men and women were frequently dressed entirely 
in deer skin. Wolves were so plentiful _that they 
would enter farm yards, and destroy sheep and 
calves in the day time. 

The first frame barn raised in the Upper Settle 
ment (vicinity of Easton s Corners) was on the farm 
now owned by A. Derrick. Samuel Rose frequently 
related an account of the raising, stating that every 
man but one on the Rideau was present ; but, before 
the timbers could be got into place, they were com 
pelled to obtain assistance from the fair sex. This 
was about the year 1801. A short time after, William 
Merrick arrived at Merrickville, and erected his old 
mill. 

The first bridge thrown across the Rideau was 
Chester s. The second bridge was across Irish 
Creek, near where the present one now stands, 
known as Rose s Bridge. The first settlers found 
several mounds of earth near the river, a short 
distance below Smith s Falls, which, tradition says, 
was a favorite resort of the red man when lighting 
his council fires. 

Some thirty-five years after the first settlement, 
the Rideau Canal was commenced, giving the first 
permanent impetus to the development of that 
portion of the County. 

Several fatal accidents occurred in Wolford at a 
very early date, which cast a gloom over the entire 
settlement. In 1801, John Hutton was drowned in 
the Rideau River, near Grass Island ; and Nicholas 



88 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



Haskins was killed, while assisting in raising Mer- 
rick s Mills. A child, the son of Jacob and Mary 
Vandusen, wandered into the woods, on the farm 
occupied by J. Louckes, and was never seen after, 
the only trace being the discovery of his little sun- 
bonnet. A child, three years of age, the daughter 
of a soldier, strayed into the woods one Saturday 
night. The next morning, all Wolford turned out 
to search. The little wanderer was found by Asa 
Blanchard, who returned her safe and sound to the 
arms of her mother. 

The first regular ordained minister to visit the 
Township was Jesse Mclntyre, a Baptist. He preached 
occasionally, but never succeeded in organizing a 
congregation. Then came the Rev. William Brown, 
of the Methodist Church. The class which he 
organized consisted of some five or six persons, 
Mrs. Solomon Edmonds forming one of the number. 
The Wolford Chapel was commenced in 1820, Cox 
Chapel being built some time after by Mr. Cox, but 
deeded to the Methodists. Among the first itinerant 
ministers were Coates, Losee, and Dr. Bangs. They 
were followed by the venerable Case, Whitehead, 
Jeffers, and, in 1822, by the respected Healey. 

After the introduction of "fire water" among the 
Indians, they soon discovered themselves that they 
could not be trusted while in a state of intoxication. 
When they resolved upon having a "spree," they 
would hand over their guns, knives, and tomahawks 
to one of the band, who would secret them ; then 
would follow a general carouse. Generally speak 
ing, the Indians were very kind to the whites ; and, 
for several years, Colonel Burritt, the first white 
child born on the Rideau, had only dusky little 
sons of the forest for playfellows. 

A GHOST STORY. 

* 

At an early date there lived in the vicinity of 
Kilmarnock, on the north side of the Rideau River, a 
man by the name of Crou,tch, who claimed to have 
the gift of foresight. Many old and respected 
settlers believed implicitly that he received warnings 
of the approaching death of any person who resided 
in the settlement. According to the testimony of 
his wife, who bore the reputation of being a Christian 
woman, Croutch would frequently retire to bed, 
where in vain would he seek slumber ; restless and 
uneasy, he would toss from side to side, at times 
groaning and muttering names of the departed. Do 
what he would to shake off the mysterious spell, in 
the end he was compelled to submit. Rising, he 
would quickly dress himself, take his canoe and 
paddle across the river, where he declared he always 
found waiting a specteral funeral procession, which 
he would follow to the grave yard, where all the 



rites and ceremonies would be performed. Croutch 
having watched the ghostly mourners fade away 
would then return home, retire to rest and sink into 
a profound slumber. It was always with the greatest 
difficulty that Mrs. Croutch could ever elicit from 
her husband the name of the party, whose death had 
been heralded. It is related of the late Samuel Rose 
that upon one occasion he was in the company of 
Croutch, in crossing a common both saw a light 
Croutch exclaimed, Did you hear that cry ? No, 
replied Mr. Rose. Oh, said the fatalist, it was the 
cry of a child, the name of which he gave. In a few 
days the child breathed its last. Upon another 
occasion he predicted the death of a man named 
Mclntyre. Colonel Hurd, of Burritt s Rapids, in 
forms us that he knew Croutch and that far and wide 
he was regarded with terror by the children, who 
had learned from their parents his supposed power 
of communing with the spirits of the departed. 

In 1806, Joseph Haskins, one of the wealthiest 
farmers in the Upper Settlement, erected a small 
mill on the farm now owned by Mr. Omstead, near 
the railway statipn. A few years after, a saw-mill 
was built at the same place, by Caleb Edmunds. 
They were the second grist and saw mills on the 
Rideau. 

In the years 1817-18, the Quarter Sessions granted 
$200 for constructing a bridge at Kilmarnock. The 
people came forward and subscribed in a liberal 
manner to the undertaking, which was completed 
by Ezekiel Rose and Charles Vandusen. Unfor 
tunately, it was swept away the next spring. 

It is related, that, in the year 1804, the fever and 
ague was very prevalent. Among those who were 
attacked, was the Rev. William Brown. On one 
occasion, Mr. Brown announced that he would hold 
service. The people assembled, when the minister 
was attacked with the ague. Feeling that he was 
not adequate for the performance of the duties 
which devolved upon him, he said that he would 
read a chapter and pray, and then dismiss the 
congregation. The se r vice commenced, and before 
the reverend gentleman concluded the prayer, he 
forgot all about the fever and ague, proceeding to 
preach one of the best sermons which he ever 
delivered. Strange to say, he was troubled no 
more during that season with the ague. 

The first blacksmith shop in the Upper Settlement 
was kept by a man named Samuel Dow, a monument 
to whose memory is now standing in the Wolford 
churchyard, and upon which it is stated that he was 
the first person buried there. 

The first tannery was at Easton s Corners, Joseph 
Easton being the owner. The bark used in the 
tannery was ground by a backwoodsman s inven- 




BRITISH HOTEL, MRS. M. E. DAVIS PROPTS, Eastern s Corners. 




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M. E. CHURCH, JASPER. 




JOHN C. DA VIES 




MRS. JOHN C. DAVIES. 




Dr. DAVIES. 





ROBERT JOHNSTON. 



MRS. R. JOHNSTON, 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



89 



tion. A large round stone, some three feet in 
diameter, was taken, a hole drilled through the 
centre ; a pole, twelve feet in length, was then run 
through the hole, projecting from one side about 
two feet. This end of the pole was morticed into 
an upright standard, the standard being fixed in 
position, but turning on its axis. To operate the 
mill, the bark was thrown on the ground, where 
the stone would roll ; a horse was then hitched to the 
long end of the pole, and driven round and round. 

We are indebted to Stephen Burritt, Esq., for the 
following, it being the proceedings of the first Court 
held in Wolford : 

WOI.FORD, 

First Saturday in November, 1799. 
COURT OF REQUEST. 

James Covill, Plaintiff. f 
Powell Davis, Defendant. (" 

Summoned to appear at the house of Samuel 
Rose, at one o clock. Plaintiff did not appear at 
the time. It is the judgment of the Court that the 
Plaintiff pay the cost that has been made in the 
suit. Execution granted for costs, returnable Third 
Saturday in December : 



Book Debt, 2. 



One summons. . . . 
Two Subpoenas . . 
Two witnesses. . . 

Judgment 

Constables Fees. 



Total l 



s. d. 
6 

1 o 

5 

2 6 

13 4 

4 4 



THE DAVIES FAMILY. 

William Davies, Jr., came to Canada after the close 
of the revolutionary war, settling in Wolford in 
1797. Mr. Davies was accompanied by his father, 
Wm. Davies, Sr. They made their first clearing on 
Lot 23, in the 3rd Concession. William had a 
brother, Doctor Powell Davies, who settled in 
Kitley, on the Tim Soper place ; also John H. Davies, 
who settled near Easton s Corners. William Davies 
married Sarah Closson, daughter of Captain Closson, 
who settled one mile above Maitland. Sarah being 
the daughter of a U. E. Loyalist, drew Lot 23, in the 
3rd Concession of Wolford. She died December 
i4th, 1873, having resided on that Lot from March 
23rd, 1803. William had nine children : Mary Ann, 
Fanny, Hamilton M., John C., Harriet, Horatio, 
Nelson, William L., Asa L., Caroline and Adeline 
(twins.) 

Jour. C. DAVH s. 

The subject of this sketch was born in January, 
1812 ; married in 1838, Jane, daughter of John 
Robison (now of Kitley, in the 93rd year of his age), 
by whom he had three children : Roxy A., Ransom 
A., and Harriet. Mr. Davies is one of the most 

12 



successful farmers in Wolford. His farm is a model 
of neatness, being entirely free from the noxious 
plants and weeds, which are too frequently a dis 
grace to Canadian agriculture. The success, thus 
achieved, has been won by patient toil and industry, 
demonstrating that in this Canada of ours the most 
certain way to success is through untiring per 
severance. 

R. A. DAVIES, M. D. 

Doctor Davies, son of John C. Davies, was born 
June 6th, 1842. In February 1862, he married a 
daughter of the late Abraham Brundage, Wolford, 
by whom he had two children. In March, 1876, he 
graduated at the University of Queen s College, 
Kingston, commencing immediately after, the prac 
tice of his profession at Easton s Corners, where he 
continues to reside. The Doctor has a host of warm 
personal friends in Wolford, while his constantly in 
creasing practice affords the best evidence of the 
appreciation which is placed upon his skill as a 
physician. 

SAMUEL STARR EASTON. 

S. Starr Easton was for many years a leading citizen 
of the Township, being a descendant of the original 
Easton s who settled in the Municipality. Mr. 
Easton left behind him five children, viz : Mrs. S. D. 
Merrick, Mrs. Henry Merrick, Mrs. John K. Weir, 
Henry Starr and George Walter. 

THE MeCREA FAMILY. 

Among the first pioneers on the Rideau were the 
McCrea s, John, Edward and Thomas settling in the 
vicinity of Merrickville, James settling in Augusta 
and Alexander choosing Wolford. 

Alexander McCrea was born March 24th, 1784, at 
Stillwater, in the United States. He removed to 
Canada when about fourteen years of age, locating 
first at Burritt s Rapids, where he remained for five 
years, then removing to Wolford, settling on Lot No. 
21, in the 3rd Concession. He married Anna 
Edmunds (who was born September 2nd, 1789, at 
Danby, Vermont), October I2th, 1809, at Burritt s 
Rapids. Mr. McCrea was an honored and respected 
citizen of Wolford, taking a prominent part in 
every enterprise calculated to foster and develop the 
best interests of the Municipality. A life long and 
conscientious Liberal, his voice was always raised for 
the removal of abuses and in favor of extending the 
power ot the people. He died universally respected, 
leaving the following children : Walter, born No 
vember loth, 1810 ; Alexander, Jr., born May 22nd, 
1816 ; Colonel, born October 28th, 1818 ; Samuel 
Nelson, born February 2ist, 1821 ; Heman, born 
April 2nd, 1828 ; William, born September 24th, 
1830; Lucy, born January I 9 th, 1814; Anna, born 



9 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



June 28th, 1823. Walter studied law at Merrickville, 
removed to the County of Kent, was elected to the 
Legislative Council, then called to the Senate, and 
subsequently created Judge of Algoma. 

HK.MAN McCREA. 

This gentleman resides on the old homestead in 
Wolford. On the loth of May, 1855, he married 
Amelia Roche, daughter of William Roche, of Wol 
ford. Mr. McCrea s grandfather, on his father s 
side, was Samuel McCrea, a U. E. Loyalist, who 
came to Canada in 1788, and settled in Montague, 
near Burritt s Rapids. His grandfather on his 
mother s side, was William Edmunds, who came 
to Canada in 1801 from Danby, Vermont, settling 
at Sly s Rapids, on the Rideau. Mr. McCrea is a 
prominent citizen of the Township, and has upon 
many occasions been solicited to contest North 
Leeds in the Reform interest. His children are : 
Anna Laura, Florence Amelia, Grace Darling, Wil 
liam Alexander, Donald Percy, and Henry Havelock. 

CHILDREN OF ALEXANDER McCREA, SR. 
Alexander McCrea, Jr., now dead. 
Samuel Nelson, died October igth, 1822. 
William, now dead. 
Lucy ; married Samuel Starr Easton, February 

3 r d, 1833. 

Anna ; married Wellington Landon, formerly of 
Farmersville, now of Brockville. 

COLONEL McCREA. 

Mr. McCrea was born October 28th, 1818 ; mar 
ried Roxy Ann Wickwire, June i8th, 1844; and 
died August 23rd, 1861. He was highly respected 
and esteemed by all who enjoyed the pleasure of his 
acquaintance. Mrs. McCrea (the widow) resides on 
the farm of her late husband, part of Lot No. 21, in 
2nd Concession of Wolford, consisting of 85 acres, 
and running back to the Rideau. The family con 
sists of the following children : Andrew Jackson, 
born May 7th, 1845 ; Philip Alexander, born April 
1 2th, 1847 ; William Wallace, born February loth, 
1849 died May ist, 1873 ; Charles Bruce, born 
March joth. 1853 ; Ernest Albert, born December 
ist, 1856 ; Edwin Heman and Edmund Burritt 
(twins), born September 5th, 1859. 

. JEREMIAH ROBINSON. 

Among the early settlers of Wolford was Jeremiah 
Robinson, who was born in the United States in 
1746, and died in 1830. Mr. Robinson came to 
Canada at a very early date, first settling in 
Augusta, then removing to Lot No. 19, in the 2nd 
Concession of Wolford. When he arrived in the 
Township, the road was only a trail, marked by 
blazed trees ; he was compelled to carry his pro 



visions on his back. Ezra Robinson, who resides 
on the homestead, was born October i3th, 1839 ; 
married, in 1860, Maria, daughter of Richard Empey, 
Wolford. Charles Robinson, another son, keeps an 
extensive wine cellar, near Detroit, Michigan. 

THE PUTNAM FAMILY. 

The Putnams were among the first settlers of 
Wolford. Parks Putnam was born at Johnsburgh, 
Vermont, in 1781, and died November 8th, 1864. 
He came to Canada in 1802, and settled on Lot No. 
1 8, in the ist Concession of Wolford. His wife, 
Elizabeth Leihi, was born January 27th, 1788 ; died 
July 22nd, 1 86 1. Parks had an elder brother, Joel, 
who married Elizabeth Andress. They had ten 
children : Benijah, William B., Lydia, Franklin C., 
Parks D., Lester N., Hymenus, Betsey, Clarissa, 
and Charles W. Franklin C. lives on part of the 
homestead ; married Phoebe McGuiggan, December 
24th, 1849. 

THE WICKWIRES. 

The Wickwires were among the early settlers of 
the County of Grenville, one settling in Augusta 
and raising a numerous family. Philip Wickwire 
had seven children. Charles Wickwire resides in 
Wolford. Roxy married Colonel McCrea ; Walter, 
dead ; Eliza married Joel Cross ; Francis lives in 
Wolford ; Julia married George Putnam ; Tilley 
Houghton lives in Wolford. 

ANDREW RATHWELL. 

Andrew Rothwell was born June i4th, 1810, in 
Ireland. In 1831, he removed to Canada, settling 
in the Gore of Chatham, Lower Canada, removing 
to the Upper Province about 1840, purchasing Lot 
No. 22, in the 4th Concession of Wolford. In 1841, 
he married Mary Griffith, and in 1872, Sarah Leach. 
Mr. Rathwell has served the municipality as Coun 
cillor for three years, as Deputy Reeve two years, 
and as Reeve eleven years. 

THOMAS DEVITT. 

Thomas Devitt, born July 24th, 1828, in Wexford, 
Ireland ; left the Green Isle when three years of 
age; married March i6th, 1857, Jane, daughter 
of William Edwards, of Wolford ; has been Town 
ship Treasurer since 1867. 

JOHN ROSF,. 

Mr. Rose is of genuine United Empire Loyalist 
stock, both on his father and mother s side, his 
grandfathers being Samuel Rose, Sr., U. E. Loyalist 
and Jesse Mclntyre, U. E. Loyalist. Samuel Rose, 
Sr., was born in February 1745 ; his wife, Chloe, was 
born in December 1747. They were blessed with 
the following children : David, Moses, Ezekiel, 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



9 1 



Jacob, Samuel, Aaron, Sarah, Chloe, Rachael, 
Susannah, Arra and John. 

Samuel Rose, Jr., drew land as a U. E. Loyalist 
in Montague, his wife also drawing land in the same 
Township. Samuel settled in Wolford about the 
first of January 1800, having married Charlotte 
Mclntyre in 1799. They had twelve children: 
Samuel Jr., Charlotte (wife of Isaac Lockwood, 
father of Myles and Ambrose Lockwood, South 
Crosby), William, John, Hugh, Ezra, Sarah, Jared, 
Henry R., Ira S. 

John Rose has resided for sixty-four years on Lot 
25th, Concession " A." He had ten children by his 
first wife and two by his second wife (Margaret), 
daughter of James Wood. 

JEREMIAH R. CHURCH. 

The subject of this sketch is the son of Oliver 
Church, who was born in Danbury, Vermont ; came 
to Canada in 1805, with his father, Oliver Church, 
Sr., the latter settling in Kitley, near Mud Lake, re 
moving from there to Wolford and locating on Lot 
18, in the ist Concession, where he died in 1841. 
When Oliver, Jr., was twenty-one years of age he re 
moved to Kitley (1818), purchasing the farm of 
Henry Humphry. In 182 1, he proceeded to Wolford, 
settling near his father, dying in 1877, at the age of 
eighty-one. He had fourteen children, eight sons 
and six daughters. 

Jeremiah R. Church was born in 1836 ; in 1857, he 
married Lucy Ann, daughter of Truman Kilborn, by 
whom he has had four children : Edwin, Ida, Henry 
and Richard J. Mr. Church resides on Lot 29 and 
30, in Concession "C." Oliver Church, Sr., and 
Oliver Church, Jr., both served in the war of 1812, 
the latter also smelling powder under Col. Burritt, 
in 1837-8. Jeremiah appears to have inherited the 
warlike spirit, as he joined the United States Army at 
Watertown in 1865, proceeding at once to Vir 
ginia, where he took part in the battle of 
Petersburg, under gallant Phil Sheridan. He was 
among the first of the union troop that entered Rich 
mond, proceeding with the division in pursuit of 
General Lee and being near at hand when he sur 
rendered to General Grant. Mr. Church was 
honorably mustered out of the service at Sackett s 
Harbor on the i6th of September of the same year. 
Since his return to Wolford he has served for two 
years as a Councillor and also two years as Deputy 
Reeve. 

MRS. MARY E. DAVIS. 

Mrs. Davis, relict of the late Thomas Davis, is the 
daughter of John Nichols, Esq., of Drummond, who 
was a grandson of Captain Nichols, of Scotland. 
She was born in 1843, and in 1870 married Mr. Davis, 



who died in 1876, aged 34 years. The parents of her 
late husband came from Bath, England, and settled 
in Montague, County of Lanark. Upon the death 
of Mr. Davis, Mrs. Davis decided to take charge of 
the British Hotel, Easton s Corners, of which her 
husband was proprietor. That she has succeeded in 
an admirable manner cannot be doubted by any 
person who has ever been entertained at the house, 
which bears an excellent reputation throughout 
Central Canada. Speaking from personal ex 
perience, we pronounce the British Hotel one of the 
best hostleries to be in found in any small village in 
the Province. 

M. E. CHURCH, JASPER. 

This church is substantially built of brick ; it is 
30x46 feet, with a tower 14 feet square, surmounted 
by a spire. The charge includes four congregations, 
viz., Jasper, Easton s, Kilmarnock, and Roseville, the 
total membership being 190. The Trustees of the 
church are Thomas Edmunds, James Edmunds, 
Levius Brown, William Cross, and B. Warren, the 
pastor (1878) being the Rev. Eli Woodcock. 

Mr. Woodcock was born near the Bay of Quinte, 
in 1823, entering the ministry in 1853. He is the 
son of Peter Woodcock, a U. E. Loyalist, and the 
grandson of Nicholas Woodcock, who emigrated 
from Black River to Canada about 1785, settling in 
the County of Lanark ; and dying in 1835, having 
reached the ripe age of nearly one hundred years. 
Mr. Woodcock has a son, Percy, a young man who 
has already distinguished himself as a portrait 
painter, and is at the present time pursuing his 
art studies in Paris. 

William Brown, grandfather of George Brown, 
came to Canada about 1790. Settled on Lot No. 
24, in the ist Concession. 

THE W T K.IK FAMILY. 

John Weir came to Canada about the time of the 
Rebellion, emigrating from Dumfrieshire, Scotland, 
and, on his arrival, settling in the Township of 
Edwardsburg. He had the following children : 
Jane, married John Walker, of Prince Edward 
Island ; James, Jennett, Thomas ; George, who 
married Jane, daughter of John Kennedy, Edwards- 
burg ; and Rachel. 

The career of George Weir is one having feu- 
parallels in Canadian history. He acquired a 
large fortune by engaging in the construction 
of stupendous public works, which he managed 
with consummate skill, rising in every instance 
superior to emergencies which taxed to the utmost 
the skill of distinguished European engineers. 
Brought up upon a farm, George Weir never 
possessed the advantages of even a rudimentary 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



education. From training, he had not the slightest 
knowledge of civil engineering, and in after life, 
when he had won his way to the front rank as a 
contractor, his devices for overcoming obstacles 
were out of the beaten track. In fact, his ideas 
were original : he was born an engineer. 

Virtually his career commenced as a day laborer 
on the St. Lawrence Canals, which were in course of 
construction. From the late Hon. George Craw 
ford (after he had been employed by the day for 
some time), he obtained the job of filling a single 
crib. In this case, he was both contractor and 
workman, carrying all the stone with his own 
hands, and completing the work to the satisfaction 
of Mr. Crawford. A short time after, a large pump 
which had been brought out from England, was set 
up by the engineers, but would not work. After 
several attempts had been made to remedy the 
defect and had failed, it was finally decided that the 
mechanic who had superintended its construction 
in England would have to be brought out to Canada. 
At this juncture, Weir, by chance, made his appear 
ance on the scene, and was asked in a joking manner 
by one of the engineers, whether he could fix the 
pump. Geordie at once replied, " Yes," but, with 
the caution peculiar to a Scotchman, enquired of 
Mr. Crawford how much he would pay. The 
prompt reply was, " One hundred pounds." Order 
ing the power to be applied, Geordie seized an axe, 
and commenced his engineering career by demolish 
ing every alternate bucket as it made its appearance. 
In half an hour the job was completed, the pump 
working to the satisfaction of all, the cash paid over 
and from that hour the fortune of George Wier was 
made. He had convinced the engineers that he had 
brains which could be employed with profit to 
himself and his country. Contracts and fortune 
came to him. The following are among the con 
tracts which he completed : All the Bridges on the 
St. Lawrence and Ottawa Railway ; the Grand 
Trunk Railway Pier at Prescott ; and the line from 
Edwardsburg to Conway s Creek ; the Port Hope 
Harbor Works ; the Toronto Esplanade ; the Grand 
Trunk Railway from St. Mary s to London and St. 
Mary s to Sarnia. 



CHAPTER XXV. 

BIOGRAPHICAL AND MISCT.I.I,, \.\KOUS. 
THE LATE DUNHAM JONES. 
ML. DUNHAM JONES, of Augusta, was born April 241!), 
1793, and died at the advanced age of nearly eighty- 
four years. In his death there disappeared one of 
the landmarks of the settlement of Upper Canada 
Descended from a Welsh gentleman, who more than 
liaif n century before the revolution had settled at 



Fort Edward, New York. The father of Mr. Jones was 
one of seven brothers, two of whom, in the struggle 
that ensued, "scaled their faith with their blood," in 
espousing the royal cause. Of the surviving five, 
four subsequently came to Canada, literally pitching 
their tents in the forest along the bank of the St. 
Lawrence, between* where the Towns of Brockville 
and Prescott now stand. The fifth brother chose 
for his place of asylum, Nova Scotia, where at 
Badock, Cape Breton, his descendants still live. 

Solomon Jones, one of the four brothers who 
sought refuge on the banks of the St. Lawrence, and 
father of the subject of this sketch, served with 
Burgoyne s army in the capacity of surgeon, to 
which profession he had been educated, and, effect 
ing his escape at the time of the surrender at Sara 
toga, made his way to Canada, tendered his services 
to the commander of the British forces, then having 
headquarters at Three Rivers, and continued to 
serve, in Lower Canada, until peace was declared. 
He removed to the Upper Province, where he was 
joined by his brothers Daniel, John and David. 
They seem all to have selected their military grants 
with consummate judgment, for there are no more 
fertile, no more charmingly situated lands in Ontario 
to-day than those located by the brothers Jones. 
On the same lot on which Dr. Solomon Jones then 
settled and in the house he built, his son died in the 
fulness of years. 

Dr. Jones was a man of note in his locality and 
generation, and his memory is still cherished as that 
of a gentleman of high worth and marked capacity. 
His professional services were eagerly sought along 
the sparse settlements, all the way from Kingston 
to Cornwall. He was a member of the first Parlia 
ment of Upper Canada and Judge of the Johnstown 
District Court. He died in 1822. 

His brother David has a niche, albeit a chance 
one, in American history, in connection with a very 
mournful tale, familiar to all interested readers of 
the chronicles of the troublous times of the Revolu 
tion. A " Rebel s " daughter, Jean McRae, a young 
girl, as the story is told, of tender nature and more 
than common beauty, was cruelly murdered by 
Indians, who carried her scalp to Fort Edward, then 
occupied by the King s troops, where its silken 
tresses were immediately recognized by a young 
Tory lieutenant as those of his affianced bride. 
The young lieutenant was David Jones. Among 
others, Irving, in his "Life of Washington," recounts 
the sad tale, and adds that young Jones is supposed 
to have gone to Canada ; to have lived to old age a 
single and melancholy life ; and that from the day 
of the terrible revelation at Fort Edward, he was 
" never known to smile." The latter part of the 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



93 



historian s conjectures are correct enough, the writer 
having had it from the recently deceased Dunham 
Jones, that he had frequently heard his father and 
mother, with whom his Uncle David lived until his 
death, say that his was a saddened life, and that 
never since the day of his sorrow had they seen a 
smile upon his face. He did not, however, live to 
be an old man, but, on the contrary, died while yet 
young, not many years after the removal of the 
family into Canada ; and the remains of the young 
Tory officer of Fort Edward rest in the same old 
burial ground, overlooking the St. Lawrence, in 
which were laid, a few days since, those of his aged 
and also Tory nephew. The curious visitor to the 
classic ground around Fort Edward may be sure 
that the officious guide will not allow him to depart 
without first showing the old elm tree, with the 
spring beneath it, which tradition fixes as the spot 
on which was perpetrated the murder of poor young 
Jean McRae. 

Dunham Jones lived and died where he was born, 
passing his fourscore years and upwards in " the cool, 
sequestered vale of life," earnest in duty, seeking no 
publicity, and carrying with him to the last the 
respect, esteem, and love of all around him. 

In his public capacities, Dunham Jones served his 
country actively in the war of 1812-14 as ensign in 
the ist Regiment Grenville Militia, and again as 
captain in the same corps during the insurrection 
of 1837-38, and was engaged in the action at the 
Windmill. Subsequently he was appointed Lieu 
tenant-Colonel of the 2nd Grenville Regiment ; was 
Justice of the Peace of the County from 1828 ; and 
for nearly the last thirty years of his life, Collector 
of the Port of Maitland. 

Dunham Jones epitaph might not be inaptly 
written in the lines which say, that 

" Only the actions of the just 
Smell sweet, and blossom in the dust." 

THE JUDSON FAMILY. 

William Judson emigrated from Manchester, Eng 
land, in 1634, settling in Concord, Massachusetts ; 
in 1639, he removed to Stafford, Connecticut, where 
he died. He had three sons, and from this family 
sprang all the Judsons in America. The record is 
lost until the birth of Ephraim Judson, born Septem 
ber 1 8th, 1709. 

William Judson had three sons Joseph, James, 
and Jeremiah. Lyman Judson, son of Silas Judson, 
married Mary Boyce, July 3151, 1798. They were 
blessed with the following children : David, Harvey, 
James, Ira, Olive, and William. Rathael Judson, 
born October iQth, 1783, had the following children : 
Laura, Nelson, Warren, Melinda, Fairman, John, 



Jane, Wyatt, Olive, by his first wife, Annie ; by his 
second wife, Susannah McLean, he had children : 
Luther, Joel, Ruth Ann, and Lisa. In 1821, David 
Judson married Hannah Starnes ; children of mar 
riage : Melissa, Urita, David C., Ann S. Harvey 
Judson married Mary Fletcher, June 7th, 1833 ; 
children : Horace Allan, Harvey Allison, William 
O., Mary Amelia, Mary Jane, Lyman, and Franklin. 
Ira Judson, born May 3oth, 1808, being the son of 
Lyman ; June nth, 1832, he married the daughter 
of John Phillips. Children : Rufus, James, 
David. Alvin,and Hannah Matilda. Rufus married, 
February i5th, , Hannah Bowser, of Bastard. 

Lyman Judson, father of Ira Judson, settled in 
Yonge, on Lot No. 4, in the 8th Concession. At 
the time Mr. Judson located, his nearest neighbor, 
in the direction of Brockville, was on the old Flint 
Farm. Upon one occasion, he carried a bushel of 
corn to Johnstown, to get it ground. In the centre 
of the log cabin which he built, stood a stump which 
was used as a hand-mill when occasion required, 
and also as the support for some basswood slabs 
serving as the top of a table. 

THE PENNOCK FAMILY. 

It is related that at an early date in the history of 
the United States, a man by the name of Pennock 
emigrated from Scotland and on his arrival in New 
York put up at a hotel. Early in the evening, a lady 
and gentleman came to the hotel to be married. 
The minister requested Pennock to act as second 
groom, and a German lady, who was also a guest at 
the hotel, to become bridesmaid. 

On the conclusion of the ceremony, the minister 
remarked that it was a pity that Pennock and the 
lady in question could not make a match. Pennock 
replied that he had no objection, if the lady was 
willing, as he had come to America to seek his 
fortune, and had no wife but would like to get one. 
The lady said she would like a few minutes con 
versation with Pennock ; they engaged a room and 
in a short time returned and were married. In a 
short time they removed to Vermont, and from their 
union sprang all the Pennocks in America. Where- 
ever you find a Pennock they trace their forefathers 
back to Vermont. When the revolution broke out 
the Pennocks remained true Britons. Seven brothers 
joined Burgoyne s army and were all killed. After 
the close of the war, probably in 1784-5, Samuel and 
Oliver Pennock, with their families, came to Canada 
and settled in Augusta. The children of Samuel 
were Isaac, who remained in the United States, 
Philemon and Alvah. Oliver Pennock was a nephew 
to Samuel ; his children were Aaron, Mary, Lucy, 
Hannah, Olive and Julia. Aaron married Elizabeth, 
daughter of Philomon Pennock, Sr. ; Lucy married 



94 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



John Keeler, Greenbush ; Mary married William 
Pennock, son of Philemon ; Hannah married H. 
Herrick ; Olive married Joseph McNish ; Julia 
married Smith Coleman. Philomon, the elder, 
raised the following children : Chapman, Elizabeth, 
William, Mary, Samuel, Philomon Jr., John and 
George, the latter being a child by the second wife, 
who was a Gardiner of Yonge, sister of George 
Gardiner. Mr. Gardiner s wife was a Morey, 
Samuel Morey having arrived in Upper Canada 
about the same time that the Pennock s did, also 
coming from the same part of Vermont. Reuben 
Morey married Abigail Pennock, a daughter of Alvah 
Pennock, John marrying a daughter of the Rev. 
David Breakenridge. Chapman Pennock married 
Irena Deming, and removed to South Crosby in 
1811, settled on Lot 14, in the 2nd Concession, where 
he died in 1871, aged 84 years. His family con 
sisted of eleven sons and two daughters, all of 
whom are living. At the time of Chapman s death 
he had fifty grand children and twenty great grand 
children ; Chapman s wife died in 1862. 

Aaron Pennock served in 1812 ; as a veteran re 
ceived a pension from the Dominion Government. 
He died at the ripe age of ninety-four years. One of 
his children is the wife of Ephraim Lee of Yonge. 
William Pennock, who married Mary, daughter of 
Oliver, was a man of more than average ability, and 
occupied a prominent position for many years in the 
County of Grenville. He had no children, but 
adopted Charles, a son of Chapman. William died 
at the age of seventy-eight ; his wife, still living, is 
considerably over eighty. Samuel Pennock married 
Catherine Coleman, sister of the late Richard Cole 
man. During his early life Samuel taught school, 
Ormond Jones, Esq., Registrar of Leeds, being one 
of his pupils. Settling in Brockville, Samuel became 
known as a staunch Liberal, and as such met with 
persecution, removed to New York State, visited 
England and finally settled at Consecon, dying at 
the age of seventy-two. When the BROCKVILLE 
RF.CORDKK was established, Philomon Jr., who 
married a daughter of Thomas Mcllmoyle, canvassed 
for subscribers for the paper, going east as far as 
Cornwall. Samuel s son William married a daughter 
of the Rev. Wyatt Chamberlain ; he now resides in 
Ottawa, where he has long held a leading position. 
Eleanor (a sister), married Tyrus Hurd, Professor 
of Natural Sciences at Knox College, Galesburg, 
Illinois. Sarah (a sister), married John Leggo, 
Superintendent of the Dominion of Canada Plum- 
bago Company, Ottawa. John (brother), went to 
California and the Sandwich Islands, now of Ottawa. 
He married a daughter of James Rochester, Esq. 



Elizabeth married W. H Walker, a leading Barrister 
of Ottawa. Philomon is now deceased. 

Philomon (second) acted for thirty-two years as 
Township Clerk of Augusta, was a Justice of the 
Peace, and acted as Recording Steward of the W. 
M. Church, Augusta Circuit, for eighteen years 
At one time, he was strongly urged by the Liberals 
of Grenville to contest that constituency, but at the 
nomination retired in favor of Samuel Norton, who 
was elected. He afterwards entered the Civil Ser 
vice, serving in the Post Office Department, in which 
service he died. He was an ardent Liberal, and at 
the time of his death held the rank of major. 

Chapman and William Pennock served in the 
War of 1812, while Philomon, being a boy, acted 
as teamster in conveying government stores. Philo 
mon and Alvah drew land as LI. E. Loyalists, but 
none of the children, though clearly entitled to do 
so. The grant was made and registered in the 
public records, but in consequence of a malicious 
statement made by an enemy, a pen was drawn 
through the names. Subsequently, Sir Allan 
McNab, as well as Sir Francis Hincks, acknow 
ledged the injustice which had been done, but 
thought it unwise to open the question, fearing 
many applications which might embarrass the 
administration. 

Oliver Pennock was one of the first settlers in 
South Crosby ; his remains were among the first 
interred in the Elgin Cemetery. Aaron Pennock 
served in the War of 1812 ; he died at the residence 
of his son-in-law, Ephraim Lee, near Lyn, aged 94 
years. 

Philomon Pennock, of Elgin, has furnished the 
following anecdotes : 

At one time, Chapman Pennock and a relative, 
Henry Herrick, were passing through the woods, 
when they came upon two young bears ; Pennock 
ran after them, and soon had them up a tree. At 
this juncture, the old bear made her appearance. 
Herrick took to his heels, but Pennock faced his 
antagonist, which at once rose on his hind legs 
and attempted to embrace him. Taking his hat 
off, he struck the bear in the face, at the same time 
shouting and backing up, not forgetting to dodge 
the blows from the bear s paws ; Herrick, who had 
reached a place of safety, at the same time shout 
ing, " Run, Chapman, run ! " The bear, becoming 
frightened, decamped, just as Pennock fell back 
wards over some brush. Herrick ran to the house, 
brought a gun, and the cubs were shot. 

At one time, a noted hunter by the name of Elisha 
Beach resided in South Crosby. Beach frequently 
wore pants made of deerskin. Upon a certain 
occasion, a party went out, under his guidance, on 




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HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



a fishing and hunting expedition, taking among the 
provisions a quantity of spirits, to which Beech had 
not the slightest dislike, but imbibed very freely. 
At night, they built a fire, and camped beside it. 
Beech, whose deerskin pants had become soaking 
wet, and who himself was not sober, laid down 
by the fire, and soon fell asleep. When he awoke, 
the buckskin had contracted and dried so tightly 
about his legs, that, for the life of him he could not 
regain his feet. The only alternative was to cut the 
pants off, which was accordingly done, and, as there 
was not an extra pair in the camp, the hunter 
marched home sans his breeks. 

Chapman Pennock was the first Town Clerk of 
South Crosby ; appointed in 1814, he held the office 
for about twenty years. When teaching in the 
Township, his school was attended by the late 
Jesse Belong. Chapman s family : Samuel, Charles, 
Arthur D., Alice, Henry, Prosper, Philomon, Char 
lotte, John, William, James. Isaac, and Stirling. 

THE BISSELL FAMILY. 

The founder of this family was David Bissell. 
At the close of the war of 1776, Mr. Bissell, with 
his worldly all. which consisted principally of a 
good wife and sixteen children eight sons and 
eight daughters started through the wilderness 
of Vermont for Canada, They crossed the St. 
Lawrence at St. Regis, and wended their way up 
to Weatherhead s Point, where the Village of Mail- 
land now stands. He selected a tract of land almost 
directly in the rear of his first resting place, between 
the 3rd and 5th Concessions, which, as the reward of 
loyalty to his king, was by letters patent conveyed 
to him. Here he made his home, with his com 
patriots around him. His first rude abode lasted 
for half a score or more of years. In the year 1801, 
he raised the frame of a large, substantial residence. 
This has been the home of four generations. 

The year 1787 is remembered as the year of direst 
famine ever suffered in Canada. He had a good 
supply of grain on hand, and he put his family on 
short rations, that he might spare the more for his 
less favored neighbors. He was offered 400 acres 
of land in his Township for twelve bushels of wheat, 
but declined the offer, and divided out his surplus 
grain among the destitute settlers at the usual price 
in plentiful years. He died at the age of 88 years, 
possessed of a large body of land, in different loca 
tions, and an untarnished reputation, leaving six of 
his sons honorably settled around him. One he left 
at his old home, in Eastern New York. His sons, 
Jehial, Friend, David, Edward, Zenas, and John, left 
large, respectable families of sons and daughters. 
His daughters, six of whom lived to maturity, 



married honest, respectable husbands, who became 
men of note in their neighborhoods. Among these, 
were Joseph Wright, Esq., late of Wright s Corners ; 
Asa Landon, father of Wellington Landon, Esq.; 
Abraham Clark, and Ethan Crippen. 

Zenas, his seventh son, became the owner of the 
old homestead. He married Lydia, daughter of his 
near neighbor, John White, who was also one of the 
old U. E. Loyalists. Twelve children, nine of whom 
grew up four daughters and five sons resulted 
from this union. The youngest daughter remains 
unmarried. The eldest married Arza Parish, Esq., 
one of the leading merchants of Farmersville. 
Adeline, the second daughter, was married to Rev. 
A. W. Cummings, D. D., an account of whom is 
found in this work. The third daughter is the 
wife of William Bersee, of Brockville. Alpheus, 
the first son of Zenas, married and raised a respect 
able family at Merrickville, where, at 70 years of 
age, he now resides. Arza, the last son, went West. 
Joseph, the next elder son, is unmarried. The old 
homestead, at the death of Zenas, became the pro 
perty of Artemus, the second, and James, the 
third, son of Zenas. Mr. Bissell long served as a 
magistrate, and also as a member of the Council of 
Augusta, and of the Council of the United Counties 
of Leeds and Grenville. 

DOCTOR CUMMINGS. 

The Reverend Anson W. Cummings, M. A., D. D., 
from three months old to nearly his sixteenth birth 
day, resided in the Township of Augusta, County of 
Grenville. He early developed an especial fondness 
for books and study, and, amid great difficulties and 
with very limited aids from teachers, he acquired a 
good elementary English education. From 1830 to 
1833, he resided in Brockville. 

Invited by his uncle, Hiram Cummings, Esq., of 
Boonville, Oneida County, New York, he left his 
Canadian home to attend a Grammar School near 
his uncle s. He then went to Cazenovia, New York, 
and was for some years a student in the Seminary 
there. 

In 1836, he became Principal of the Collinsville 
Institute, Lewis County, New York, and in 1837 
Professor in the Seminary at Gouverneur, New York, 
the associate of Rev. Dr. (now Bishop), J. T. Peck, 
D. D., L. L. D., and in 1842 was elected the Principal 
of that Institution. From 1846 to 1852, he filled a 
professorship in the McKendree College, Illinois, and 
was for two years President of that College. The 
presidency of the Illinois State Institution for the 
Blind was tendered to him. This he declined, but in 
1854 accepted the presidency of the Female College 
at Rogersville in East Tennessee. After a success- 



9 6 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



ful year there, he yielded to the urgent calls of his 
church, and took the presidency of the Holston 
Conference Female College at Asheville, N. C. He 
then devoted himself to pastoral duties as an itin 
erant minister in the Methodist Church, becoming a 
member of the Annual Conference in 1837, but for 
most of the time occupied stations in some of the 
colleges of his church. Early in 1866, he became 
the President of the South Carolina Female College 
at Sportanburg, South Carolina. 

In a short time after he was invited to accept a 
professorship in the old State University at Columbia, 
and, by the choice of the faculty, he became the 
President of that University, chartered in 1801, and 
had for three-fourths of a century educated most of 
distinguished men of South Carolina. From its 
classic halls had gone out the Harper s, Middleton s, 
Butler s, Hampton s, O Neal s, Barnwell s, Rhett s, 
Simmses and others, famous at the State and 
National Capitols, as well as in the world of letters 
and at the courts of foreign nations. Here he re 
mained until the University was virtually suspended 
by the failure of the State to make the accustomed 
annual appropriation for its support. This was 
purely a political measure. Dr. Cummings was 
ordained to the Christian Ministry in 1839 by the 
Venerable Bishop Hedding. 

Through the influence of his old teacherand friend 
Dr. Taribee, in 1850, he received the title of Doctor 
in Divinity from Ashbury University of Indiana, 
while the distinguished Rev. M. Simpson, D.D. (now 
Bishop Simpson, D.D., L.L.D.) was its President. 

Dr. Cummings has been three times married. 
First, to Adeline, second daughter of Zenas 
Bissell, late of Augusta. This excellent, Christian 
lady died without children at Gouverneur, 
New York. Second, to Florilla Alexander, of St. 
Lawrence County, New York. She died at Mc- 
Kendree College, in 1852. She left two sons. The 
elder, P. A. Cummings, M. A., L. L. B., is one of the 
leading lawyers at the bar of North Carolina. His 
last marriage was to Mrs. Isabella H. Sheldon. 
By this marriage he has a daughter, Belle, yet in 
school, and three sons. Charles W. Cummings, 
L.L.B., is a lawyer in South Carolina. F. A. Cum 
mings is the steward and business manager at 
Riverside Seminary, in which O. F. Cummings, 
B.A., is professor of music and ancient and modern 
languages. Dr. Cummings career has never been 
questioned, and no where is he more esteemed than 
where best and longest known. He has often 
visited his old Canadian home, and never without 
receiving new manifestations of the high esteem in 
which he is held. 



Industry and good management has enabled him 
to provide for the autumn and winter of life. He is 
the owner of the Riverside Seminary, near Wells- 
ville, Allegany County, New York, to which he has 
retired from the more responsible positions formerly 
held. Then, as principals, with members of his 
family as associate teachers, he can enjoy as much 
of rest and seclusion as he may prefer. He presents 
a distinguished example to our Canadian youth. 

THE BURRITT FAMILY. 

This ancient and honorable family is of Welsh 
descent, William and Stephen Burritt emigrating 
from that country about the year 1600. 

Stephen and Adaniram Burritt were both engaged 
on the Royalist side at the battle of Bennington, 
Vermont. After the engagement, they found a 
wounded American, and took him to a place of 
safety, where he was kindly nursed, and finally 
recovered. One year after, the Burritts were 
arrested by the Continental authorities, and thrown 
into Bennington gaol. By chance, the young 
American whose life they had saved was placed 
on guard over the prisoners. Recognizing his 
benefactors, he devised a scheme for their escape, 
which was successful. After escaping from gaol, 
Stephen made his way to St. John, Quebec, where 
he joined the British army. The remainder of the 
family did not come to Canada until the close of 
the war. After Stephen received his discharge, he 
came up the St. Lawrence on a trading voyage, 
buying furs from the Indians. As a U. E. Loyalist, 
he drew Lot No. 29, in the ist Concession of 
Augusta. Returning to St. John, he met his father 
(Daniel) and family, all of whom removed to 
Augusta, where Daniel died, about 1856, aged 97 
years and 9 months. Stephen went out to the 
Rideau on an exploring expedition, striking the 
river at Cox Bay, where he constructed a raft, 
and floated down to Burritt s Rapids, where he 
chose a spot for settlement, in the Township of 
Marlborough. It was there that Colonel Edmund 
Burritt was born, the first white child on the Rideau, 
the date being December 8th, 1793. Stephen was 
at one time elected a member of Parliament. He 
died at Burritt s Rapids, in the 84th year of his age. 

Edmund Burritt raised a family of six children : 
Martha, married Joseph Lonsdale ; Mary, married 
Aaron Merrick ; Olive, married Charles Collins; 
Henry Osgood, married a daughter of Judge 
Strong, of New York ; Edmund, born March 28th, 
1828, married Hester, daughter of John L. Read, of 
Merrickville ; and Alexander, who is the Registrar 
of the City of Ottawa, married Sarah Foster, of 
that city. 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



97 



Edmund has the following children : Anna M., 
married Melchior Eberts, C. E., of the" Canada 
Pacific Railway ; Fred. E., and Frances Mary. 

Alexander has four children : Mary, Anna, Alex 
ander H., and Edmund F. 

Colonel Stephen Burritt raised the following 
family: Henry, born August 26th, 1791 ; Edmund, 
born December 8th, 1793 ; Sarah, born February 
2oth, 1801 ; William Augustus, born May i8th, 
1803 ; Stephen, Jr., born November 5th, 1805 ; 
and Hamilton, born June 29th, 1809. Edmund 
Burritt is still alive, and resides at Thornbury, 
Georgian Bay. 

The following account of Colonel Stephen is 
furnished by his fourth son, Stephen, of Thornbury, 
and differs somewhat from that furnished by his 
nephews : 

" Stephen Burritt was the first white settler north 
of the Rideau, undergoing severe trials and priva 
tions, for a long time carrying his provisions for 
thirty miles on his back. At one time, while chop 
ping, he was attacked by a Mohawk Indian, who 
ordered him to quit the hunting grounds of the 
tribe. The struggle was a desperate one, but at last 
the Indian was thrown to the ground and an axe 
held over his head, when he begged for mercy and 
promised friendship, a promise which he faithfully 
fulfilled. While in the army and quite young, Mr. 
Burritt was employed by Baron St. Ledger as a 
writer of war despatches. Subsequently, he joined 
his regiment and took part in the battle at Gage s 
Hill (where he was wounded) Fort Edward and Sara 
toga. It was, as a discharged member of Rodger s 
Corps, that he came to Upper Canada." 

He was appointed a Justice of the Peace, and in 
1810 elected member of parliament. General Brock 
made him a Lieutenant-Colonel, and reposed the 
greatest confidence in his judgment and abilities. 

Stephen Burritt, his son, was at one time Post 
Master at Burritt s Rapids, and subsequently one of 
the Inspectors of the Clergy Reserve Lands. He re 
moved to Thornbury, Ontario, in 1855. 

Shortly after Colonel Burritt settled at Burritt s 
Rapids, he and his wife were attacked with the fever 
and ague. Having no neighbors they were com 
pelled to rely upon themselves. They grew worse, 
and at last were confined to bed and helpless. For 
three days and three nights they were without fire 
or food, and fully made up their minds that they 
must die. At this critical juncture, a band of Indians 
arrived at the Rapids, entered the log cabin and at 
once comprehended the situation. The Squaws 
prepared some medicine and food, carefully nursing 
their white brother and sister until they recovered, 
the braves in the meantime gathering and storing a 

13 



small field of corn for the sick man. From that day 
the Colonel threw open his house to the dusky sons 
of the forest, and ever after it was no uncommon 
thing to awake in the morning and discover a score 
of savages reclining in the hall and in other parts of 
the house. When proceeding up the river in the 
spring, they frequently left many articles with the 
Colonel for safe keeping, not forgetting, on their 
return in the fall, to present him with a rich present 
of furs. 

Mr. Charles Burritt, son of Adonirum, resides with 
his family in Augusta, about two miles from Mait- 
land. He is a highly respected citizen of the Muni 
cipality. 

THE COLLINS FAMILY. 

The Collins were originally from Yorkshire, 
England, emigrating in 1660, and settling at Hart 
ford, Connecticut. Stephen Collins came to Canada 
as a U. E. Loyalist in 1784, taking up land in the 2nd 
Concession of Augusta, his family arriving the next 
year. His wife was a daughter of Samuel Landon, 
a L T . E. Loyalist. The family consisted of Reuben, 
Jehiel H., Rufus, who married Miss Drew, of Smith s 
Falls ; Daniel, who resides in Maitland ; Charles 
married a daughter of Edmund Burritt ; Samuel 
married Miss Pollock ; Lois married Alexander Mc- 
Eathron, of Perth ; Anna married first, Mr. Chap 
man; second, Christopher B.Stevens, of Merrickville ; 
Pamela married Mr. Clothier, of Nepean ; Daniel 
still retains the homestead. He served in the 
militia in 1837, as ensign, and was present at the 
battle of the Windmill as a lieutenant, receiving a 
captain s commisison in 1849. He was appointed a 
Coroner, Justice of the Peace, and has served as 
church warden for forty years. 

BYRON MOFFATT BRITTON, M. A., Q. C. 

Byron Moffatt Britton, M. A., Q. C., was born in 
the Village of Gananoque, County of Leeds, on the 
3rd of September, 1833. After attending the county 
schools, he removed to Cobourg, and graduated 
at Victoria University in 1856. In the same year, 
he entered the Law Society of Ontario as a student, 
and began legal life in the office of the Hon. P. M. 
Vankoughnet, of Toronto. Three years afterwards, 
he was called to the Bar, and began the practice of 
the legal profession at Kingston, in 1859. In 186^ 
he married the eldest daughter of the Hon. L. H. 
Holton, of Montreal. Since that time, he has held 
several municipal offices. In 1873, he was chosen to 
represent Sydenham Ward in the City Council a 
position which he filled for three years. In 1876, he 
was Mayor of the city. He was Chairman of the 
Public School Board for four years. In 1875, he 
was elected a Bencher of the Law Society of 



9 8 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 




Ontario. In 1876, he was created a Queen s 
Counsel (Q. C.) In politics Mr. Britton is a 
Liberal. 

THE JONES FAMILY. 

(ONE BRANCH.) 
Josiah Jones came to Boston A. D. 1665, settling 
at Weston, Massachusetts. He died A. D. 1714, aged 
94 years. 

Elisha, grandson of the above, lived at the man 
sion house and farm at Weston ; he had fourteen 
sons and one daughter. They all espoused the 
Royal cause at the time of the American Revolution, 
and, at the close of the war, some came to Canada, 
and others settled in Nova Scotia and New Bruns 
wick all U. E. Loyalists. 

Ephraim Jones, the tenth son, settled in Augusta, 
then Johnstown District, Upper Canada, of which 
District he was the representative in the first 
Parliament of Upper Canada, held at Newark, now 
Niagara Town. Ephraim had four sons and four 
daughters. Sons : Charles, William, Jonas, and 
Alpheus ; daughters : Charlotte, Sophia, Lucy, and 
Eliza. 

Charles was a merchant and miller ; he built mills 
at Yonge, the most extensive at that time in Canada. 
He owned large property in and around Brockville, 
where he died in 1840. He was a Legislative Coun 
cillor and member of Parliament. 

William, the second son of Ephraim, died at 
Brockville, in 1832. He was a merchant and miller, 
and lived many years at Beverly, now Delta, where 
he had a grist-mill, store, etc. 

Jonas, the third son, was educated, as were the 
others, by the late Bishop Strachan, at Cornwall. 
He studied law, and practiced many years in Brock 
ville, being successful in his profession and attaining 
its highest honors. He served during the War of 
1812, and was at the taking of Ogdensburgh. He 
received his first commission as Lieutenant of 
Cavalry (attached to ist Regiment Leeds Militia ; 
Colonel Breakenridge), June 22nd, 1812 commission 
under seal of Sir Isaac Brock ; his second commis 
sion as Colonel 3rd Regiment Leeds, June iSth, 
1822. He was for some years Judge of the District 
Court of the then Bathurst District, and also of the 
Johnstown District. Subsequently, he was appointed 
one of Her Majesty s Judges of the Court of Queen s 
Bench, which required his removal to Toronto, A. D. 
1837, where he died in 1848, aged 57 years. His 
great knowledge of the manners and ways of the 
people, caused his decisions and judgments both in 
the District Courts and in the Queen s Bench, to 
give great satisfaction. His manliness of character 
and honesty of purpose caused him to be much 
beloved by the people of the United Counties of 



Lee Js and Grenville, and his removal from Brock 
ville was much regretted by all classes. His advice 
and assistance to the early settlers of Leeds and 
Grenville is not yet forgotten. 

Alpheus, the fourth son, lived at Prescott, and was 
for many years, and at the time of his death, Col 
lector of Customs and Postmaster. He died in 1863, 
much respected. 

Of the four daughter of Ephraim Jones, Charlotte 
married Livius P. Sherwood, a barrister, of Brock 
ville ; subsequently appointed Judge of the Court 
of Queen s Bench. Sophia married Andrew Stuart, 
Esq , many years Sheriff of the District of Johns 
town. Lucy married Dr. Hubbell, who lived and 
died in Brockville. Eliza married H. J. Boulton, 
a barrister in Toronto, afterwards Governor of 
Newfoundland. 

Jonas Jones, son of Ephraim, had eight sons and 
three daughters. David Ford Jones, the eldest, was 
born in Brockville in 1818. He was educated at 
the Brockville Grammar School, under Elms and 
Bushby, and subsequently at Upper Canada College. 
Preferring business or mercantile life to a profession, 
he served for two years in the counting-house of 
Dunscombe & Beckwith, West India merchants in 
New York. Afterwards, in 1839 and 1840, he man 
aged H. Jones & Co. s forwarding business, when 
L. H. Holton and David McPherson respectively 
managed Hooker, Henderson & Co. s and McPher 
son, Crane & Co. s business. He commenced his 
present manufacturing business in 1852, at Ganan- 
oque. He was first elected to represent the South 
Riding of Leeds in January, 1864, in the Parliament 
of Canada, and supported the Act for the Confeder 
ation of this Dominion. He refused nomination for 
the next term, but was again elected for the South 
Riding of Leeds in 1874, and re-elected in 1878. He 
served in one of the incorporated battalions raised 
during the Rebellion of 1837-8, and was ensign 
under Colonel S. P. Jarvis, "Queen s Rangers," for 
nearly two years. He raised the Gananoque Battery 
of Artillery in 1862, at the time of the Trent diffi 
culty, receiving commission as captain June 2ist, 
1862. The battery was twice called out for active 
service during the Fenian Raids. 

THE PURVIS FAMILY. 

Peter Purvis was born at Berwick-on-Tweed, 
Scotland, in 1753, and came to the United States as 
a British soldier ; at the close of the war of 1776 
receiving his discharge at Quebec. He was one of 
the garrison at Ogdensburg when that place was 
Kanded over to the Americans. At the time when 
he reached Elizabethtown, the place where Brock 
ville stands was covered by the forest. Purchasing 
fifty acres of land from Captain Grant, where the 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



99 



Brockville Cemetery is at present located, he 
remained on his new farm six years, marrying in 
January, 1830, Catherine, daughter of George 
Gardiner. He then removed to Yonge, Lot No. 7, 
in the 2nd Concession, and in course of time secured 
1,700 acres of land. His family consisted of nine 
children. His eldest son, John Purvis, married 
Mary Smith, by whom he had ten children, viz.: 
Thomas, William, Lovinia, Jane, Henry, George, 
Frederick, John, Jr., Peter Edmund, and Mary. 
John Purvis was a volunteer in the War of 1812, 
and for twenty years Collector and Assessor for 
the Township, also serving as Town Clerk and 
Superintendent of Schools. He died in 1853, at 
the age of 66. 

The second son of Peter was Thomas ; married 
Catherine Burns, by whom he had the following 
children : Peter, John, Thomas, George, James, 

Catherine, David, and . Thomas was a 

major and a volunteer in 1812. He died in the 
eighty-first year of his age. The Rev. William 
Smart preached his funeral sermon, it being the 
last service held in Yonge by the veteran Presby 
terian minister. 

George Purvis, third son of Peter, married Lydia 
Comstock, by whom he had the following children : 
Lovinia, Catherine, Alice, Phoebe, Lydia, Jennette, 
Peter, Jane, George, and Sarah. George was a 
captain in the militia, served in the War of 1812, 
and received a pension before his death. His sword 
is in the possession of his son, who resides on the 
homestead. Peter is a Justice of the Peace. 

The fourth son of Peter was William, who married 
Lois Gideon, by whom he had one child, Mary. His 
second wife was Jane Percival, by whom he had the 
following children : Catherine, Elizabeth, Walter, 
Ann, Peter, James, Susan, Nancy, Jane, and Zacheus. 
Mr. Purvis is at present an honored citizen of 
Escott. 

Peter, Jr., the fifth son of Peter, the elder, was 
born February 2oth, 1798 ; married Kesiah Pennock, 
by whom he had the following children : Peter, 
Jr., Catharine, Abel, Sarah, James, Arthur, Nancy, 
Moriah, and Kesiah. At one time he was awakened 
in the night by a rapping at his door ; opening it, 
he was confronted by five or six armed men, who 
demanded his money or his life. Seizing his father s 
sword, he thrust it into one of the robbers, who fell 
but was carried off by his comrades. Report says 
that from that night a person in the neighborhood 
always traveled with a cane. 

James, the sixth son, married Ann Brennan ; his 
family consisted of three daughters : Eliza, Nancy 
and Isabella. James died in 1852 ; Jane married the 
Rev. John Dickey ; Catherine married the late Dr. 



Booth, of Unionville ; Nancy married Nelson Ship- 
man. The descendants of Peter Purvis, the elder, 
number two hundred and eighty. At one time he 
and his family used to walk ten miles every Sunday 
to attend divine service at Brockville. -Mr. Purvis 
was an elder in the Presbyterian Church, and upon 
one occasion, when an attempt was made to intro 
duce instrumental music in the church, in the form 
of a bass viol, the old gentleman stalked into the 
gallery, seized the bow from a man named Richards 
(a relative of the present Chief Justice), and broke it 
across his knee, at the same time remarking, "We ll 
have nae fiddles in the house o" God." He died 
March 27th, 1836, aged eighty-three years. 

THE GARVEY FAMILY. 

William Garvey was born in Ireland, where he 
received an excellent education ; removing to 
Canada in 1820, he resided in Kingston and Picton, 
finally settling near Brockville in the Reed settle 
ment, where he taught school. Among his pupils 
was the Hon. John Simpson. Mr. Garvey married 
Amelia Morey, and entered the mercantile business 
at Maitland, where he died in 1864. For several terms 
he was Warden of the Counties, defeating Ogle R. 
Gowan. He served as a Justice of the Peace, and 
was justly respected as one of the leading citizens 
of Central Canada. His family consisted of five 
sons and two daughters : William, Charles, Joseph, 
a Doctor in Ottawa, Samuel, James. Harriet married 
J. J. Gemmil, Barrister, Ottawa ; Sarah married 
George H. McHenry, Toronto. 

William Garvey, jr., was born in 1827 ; married 
Adeline Eliza, daughter of A. B. Pardee, of North 
Augusta. He removed to Morrisburg in 1857, 
where he became a leading produce buyer, being 
known in Eastern Canada as the Butter King." 
His family consists of the following children : 
Charles Mills, Barrister, and partner of the Hon. 
T. B. Pardee ; Samuel Elliott, of Montreal ; William 
Havelock, Student at Law ; A. Albert Edward, 
Gordon McKenzie, Jane Amelia and Fred and Emma 
(twins.) 

AARON B. PARDEE. 

The late A. B. Pardee emigrated from Vergennes, 
Vermont, walking all the way from that State to 
Canada. His mother was a sister of the original 
Bellamy s, who founded North Augusta. Mr. Pardee 
was a local preacher in the M. E. Church, and was 
distinguished as the most eloquent and greatest 
champion of the temperance cause in Leeds and 
Grenville. Few if any gentleman in Grenville had 
a greater weight of character ; his honesty, integrity 
and firmness of principle making him, in the 
words of the poet, " The noblest work of God." His 



100 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



family consisted of the following children : Samuel, 
Aaron, Hon. Timothy B., William, Adeline, Eliza, 
Rhoda, Fred B. 

.THE GLASSFORD FAMILY. 

Paul Glassford was descended from an ancient 
Scotch family ; he was born in the Province of New 
York (then a British Colony), four years before the 
breaking out of the revolution came to Canada, the 
family being driven from the colony by the rebels in 
consequence of their loyalty to the British Crown. 
At that time there were five brothers of the family, 
John being the father of the late Paul Glassford. 
With their families they made their way from the 
Mohawk Valley, where they resided, until they 
reached the shore of Lake Ontario, near where 
Sackett s Harbor now stands. At that place they 
secured a batteaux to convey them to Niagara, where 
a British regiment was stationed. Paul at this time 
was six years of age. When coasting along the lake, 
the party frequently landed, to secure game and 
cook provisions. During one of the halts, Paul was 
lost and could not be found. The distress of the 
parents cannot be described. Three days were spent 
in searching the forest, but no trace could be found 
of the lost child. Sorrowing, they departed on their 
journey, believing that little Paul had been devoured 
by some wild beast. What happened is best de 
scribed in the words as they fell from the lips of Mr. 
Glassford in after life : 

"I wandered away from the other children, gather 
ing wild grapes and flowers, and, before I was aware 
of the fact, I was lost. I could not make them hear 
my cries. I continued running about, expecting to 
find the lake. I at last became overcome with 
fatigue, and, lying down, cried myself to sleep. 
When I awoke, the son was shining. I satisfied 
my hunger with the grapes I had gathered, 
which were abundant around me, and continued 
to travel through the woods by day, sleeping in 
the best hiding place at night. I do not know how 
many days I had wandered about, when I suddenly 
came in sight of the lake. I was overjoyed, thinking 
that I would find my parents. I ran down to the 
beach, and looked in all directions, but could see 
nothing but the clear blue water in front, and the 
dark forest behind, I had lived on the wild grapes 
all this time, as I could find nothing else ; and as I 
had heard my father say that Niagara was towards 
the setting sun, I continued in that direction along 
the sandy beach day after day, concealing myself at 
night in the bushes, as I was greatly afraid of 
meeting with Indians, thinking they would take me 
with them. For fear that it would prove cloudy, I 
made a mark in the sand every night before going 



to sleep, so that I would not be mistaken the next 
morning in the direction to proceed. One day I saw 
an Indian and squaw coming along the beach, I was 
frightened and hid in the bushes, but escaped their 
notice. After they had disappeared, I proceeded 
on my journey, travelling day by day until I reached 
the mouth of the Niagara River, where I was taken 
charge of and conveyed to the camp, by some 
soldiers. I told them that I had been lost in the 
woods, I was soon in my mother s arms, my parents 
having delayed along the shore in the vain hope of 
receiving tidings of me." 

The family settled in the Township of Matilda, 
County of Dundas. In 1820, Paul entered into the 
mercantile business, in Augusta, just above Mail- 
land, removing eventually to Brockville. He was" 
an active Magistrate ; frequently chairman of the 
Court of Quarter Sessions. Retiring from active 
life about the year 1850, dying March 3oth, 1858. 
Mr. Glassford was twice married. His first wife 
was Miss Parlow, by whom he had one son and one 
daughter. His second wife, a daughter of the late 
Colonel David Breakenridge, bore him five sons and 
four daughters, of whom two sons and three 
daughters . survive. 

THE COLEMAN FAMILY. 

The man that causes two blades of grass to grow 
where only one has grown before has been character 
ized as a public benefactor. Measured by such a 
standard, the Coleman s are well deserving of the 
grateful remembrance with which their memory has 
been preserved by, not only the citizens of Lyn, but 
also those of the United Counties. Men of untiring 
perseverance and energy, they built up an exten 
sive manufacturing business, transforming a mere 
hamlet into a thriving village. Through the con 
struction of canals, dams and embankments they 
quadrupled the water power at Lyn, with which to 
supply the great mills and tanneries, surpassed at 
that time by none in Eastern Ontario. What Lyn 
was the Coleman s made it ; what Lyn is must be 
ascribed to their loss." 

The following is a short genealogical sketch of the 
original members of the family. Several of their 
descendants reside in Leeds at the present time : 

Three brothers, named Richard, David and Abel 
Coleman emigrated from Washington County, New 
York, to Canada. Shortly after the revolution, Abel 
and Richard settled at Lyn ; David settled at Farm- 
ersville, Abel taking up four hundred acres of land, 
also conducting a tannery and grist mill at Lyn for ,- 
many years. Abel died about 1808. Mrs. Coleman 
nee Hannah Elliott, daughter of a U. E. Loyalist, 
survived her husband nearly fifty years, dying in 
1853, Abel left ten children : Richard, John, 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



101 



Stephen, Henry, Abel, Jr., David, Ann, Phoebe, 
Hannah, Catherine and Lucy. Ann married George 
Gardiner ; Phcebe became the wife of Ira Lewis ; 
Catherine married Samuel Pennock. 

Richard had the following children : James, 
Nancy, Hannah, Billy, Catherine and Richard, Jr. 

John had the following children : Abel, John, Jr., 
William, Norman Melinda, Stephen. 

Stephen and Henry died childless. 

Abel, Jr., had five daughters. 

David had five children. 

JOHN KETCHUM. 

The subject of this memoir, a U. E. Loyalist from 
Connecticut, came to Canada in 1800, first settling 
on Lot No. 32, in the gth Concession of Elizabeth- 
town, where he drew land from the government. 
He afterwards removed to Bastard, where he died. 
His family consisted of the following children : John, 
Zata, Nathaniel, Triphene, Rachel, and Sarah. Zata 
married Captain Levingstone ; Triphene married 
George Delong, father of Jesse Delong, at one time 
member of Parliament for South Leeds ; Rachel 
married Elijah Judd, father of Hojnes and Amos 

/ J6hn Ketchum,\Jr., was borrr in 1788. He came 
to Canada in 1798. He married Charlotte Towsley, 
by whom he had the following children : Harriet, 
married Oliver O. Stowell ; Joseph, Abigail, Stephen, 
Hiram, John, and Elizabeth. Mr. Ketchum owned 
at one time a very large tract of land in Leeds ; he 
died in 1868. 

THE OLDS FAMILY. 

Moses Olds, a U. E. Loyalist, left Vermont, with 
his family, at the close of the Revolution, and settled 
in Elizabethtown, on the site of the present Village 
of Greenbush. During the hungry summer the 
family suffered great privations, the children in a 
great measure subsisting on ground nuts. Mr. Olds 
proceeded forty miles to secure a peck of corn, 
afterwards procuring one bushel of wheat, the price 
being $8. The descendants of Mr. Olds yet retain 
the homestead, and are among the most respected 
citizens of Leeds. 

ASHEL A. CHAMBERLAIN, M. D. 

Dr. Chamberlain was born in Peacham, Vermont, 
February i2th, 1810. He was brought to Canada 
before the War of 1812, and settled in Bastard. At 
the age of 16, he entered the Militia, serving in all 
the grades up to major. After studying medicine, 
the Doctor practiced his profession in that township 
until the year 1858, when he removed to Farmers 
ville. Dr. Chamberlain is a Licentiate of the Royal 
College of Physicians and Surgeons, Ontario. He 



has always taken an active interest in politics, 
serving for several, years as the President of the 
South Leeds Reform Association. His family con 
sists of two children : A daughter, wife of John C. 
Miller, M. P. P., and a son. Dr. T. F. Chamberlain, 
Reeve for 1878 of Morrisburg. 

T. F. CHAMBERLAIN, M. D. 

Among the professional men born in Leeds 
County, and deserving of recognition for his 
success, is T. F. Chamberlain, only son of Dr. 
Chamberlain, of Farmersville. He was born July 
6th, 1838, and graduated at Queen s College in 1862. 
On the 3rd of July, of the same year, he married 
Annetta, daughter of Arza Parish, Esq., removing 
to Morrisburg, where he immediately entered upon 
a lucrative practice. In 1866, he became a member 
of the C. P. S., Ontario. For many years he has 
been a leading member of the Masonic Ordei, 
having been elected District Deputy Master for the 
St. Lawrence Division. In company with W. G. 
Parish, of Farmersville, he established the first 
cheese factories in Dundas. Upon several occasions 
he has been tendered the Liberal nomination for the 
County of Dundas for member of the Local Legis 
lature, and also the House of Commons. Purchasing 
extensive timber limits from the Ontario Govern 
ment in 1872, he realized from their sale a handsome 
competence. 

JOHN BARNES. 

John Barnes emigrated from the United States to 
Canada in 1798, settling in Bastard in 1799. His 
house was a home for the itinerant Methodist min 
isters. Among the early missionaries who enjoyed 
hospitality at the hands of Mr. Barnes, were Isaiah 
Puffu, Andrew Prindle, Franklin Metcalfe, Healey, 
Madden, Keeler, Hallock, and many others. Mr. 
Barnes commenced holding meetings himself, the 
result being a great revival. The first class meeting 
was held in the middle of the town. Eventually 
Mr. Barnes became a local preacher. He died 
in 1830. 

THE KOYL FAMILY. 

Ephraim Koyl was born July ist, 1749 ; he came 
to Canada, and settled on Irish Creek, near a place 
called Koyl s Bridge, Township of Kitley. He died 
in 1838, his wife dying in iSio. 

Ephraim Koyl, Jr., was born November gth, 1781, 
in Manchester, Vermont, coming to Canada with 
his father. He married Betsey Lillie in July, 1805, 
settling on Lot No. 21, in the 3rd Concession of 
Kitley. In 1815, he sold his first farm, and removed 
to the vicinity of Lake Loyada, but in 1827 returned 
to his first location. He died October 25th. 1864. 



^Jk 

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102 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



His family consisted of twelve children. In 1817, 
he joined the Friends, dying in that faith. His wife 
died November i6th, 1869. Mr. Koyl was for many 
years a member of the Court of Request, and during 
his life was held in the highest respect in the munici 
pality in which he resided. 

THE REV. WYATT CHAMBERLAIN. 
Mr. Chamberlain was the son of Wyatt Chamber 
lain, of Unadillo, New York, well known in early 
days as an Apostle of Methodism. During his 
youth, he was only priviledged to attend school a 
few days, but, through the exercise of an unwavering 
determination, qualified himself for the duties of a 
Methodist preacher, entering upon the work at the 
age of twenty-eight, on the Bridgewater Circuit 
(1814.) In 1815, he was stationed on the Lycoming 
Circuit, and, at the ensuing Conference, took 
Deacon s Orders, but in 1817-18, we find that he 
had been transferred to Canada, as he was then 
laboring on the Hallowel Circuit, his younger 
brother, the Rev. Israel Chamberlain, being stationed 
at Belleville. In 1818-19, he was sent to the Augusta 
Circuit, at that time extending from the Bay of 
Quinte to Edwardsburg. In 1821-2, we find him 
again upon the Augusta Circuit, the year 1820 
having been passed in the State of New York ; the 
Methodist Churches in Canada at that time being 
under the United States Conference. His colleague 
in 1823-4, was the Rev. David Breakenridge, Jr., and 
about this time arose the dispute occasioned by the 
action of Elder Ryan, who, smarting from the taunt 
of disloyalty, which had frequently been levelled at 
the Methodist Church by the Tory party in Canada, 
and partly from an overwening ambition, attempted 
to sever the Canadian branch of the church from 
the parent stem. In Wyatt Chamberlain, Ryan met 
with his most talented and vigorous opponent, Mr. 
Chamberlain urging that the step should be taken 
in a constitutional way, and according to the Canons 
of the Church. Ryan assembled the preachers of 
the District together at Elizabethtovvn, Mr. James 
Richardson acting as Secretary. Resolutions were 
framed condemning the action of the General Con 
ference ; these resolutions were to be laid before the 
Quarterly Meetings, and, if they were adopted by 
the Bay of Quinte Circuit and all east of it, they 
were to become law, and Canada was to be free from 
the control of the General Conference. The action 
of the General Conference frustrated the designs of 
Elder Ryan and Breakenridge, by assembling a Con 
ference in Canada. In proceeding to this Conference, 
held at Fifty Mile Creek, in 1825, W. Case Cham 
berlain, F. Metcalf, Ezra Healey, P. Smith and 
D. Greene, were in company on horse back, when it 
was proposed that each should preach a sermon, 



while riding along the road ; the opinion of those 
present was that Chamberlain s sermon was both 
powerful and logical. In 1828, Wyatt Chamberlain 
was superannuated in consequence of an ailment, 
which produced a constant tendency to fall asleep. 
Settling in the Township of Kitley, he married 
Catherine, daughter of the Rev. William Hallock, 
familiarly known as Father Hallock, of Elizabeth- 
town. Combining farming with the mercantile busi 
ness, he planted the germ of Chamberlain s Corners 
(Toledo.) His first store was a small log cabin. He 
built the first frame house erected in that neighbor 
hood ; the building is still standing. His house was 
the abode of plenty and famed far and wide for its 
hospitality. He was the first Post Master in that 
locality, and was appointed Justice of the Peace. 
His second was Mrs. Kellog nee Smith, a half sister 
to Dr. Chamberlain, of Farmersville. Mr. Chamber- 
lain died after a brief illness from brain fever. 

JOHN MCLEAN. 

The subject of this sketch was born at Harpers- 
field, New York, October gth, 1775. His father was 
a silk weaver, who emigrated from Paisley, Scotland, 
in 1774, following the Rev. John Witherspoon, D. D., 
to America. During the first years of the Revolu 
tion, they were robbed and plundered, and compelled 
to wander from house to house. In 1778, they culti 
vated a farm at Baleston Springs, but were again 
driven forth, and compelled to make nine removals 
in one year. After the close of the war, they came 
to Canada, passing the spot where Brockville stands 
at that time an unbroken forest. Finding that 
their boats were leaking badly, they landed, put up 
a log cabin, and made a small clearing, where the 
old homestead now stands. One of the sons con 
structed a very good theodolite, though he had 
had never seen one. In the absence of a minister, 
the consolations of religion were sought by assem 
bling the neighbors, and reading a sermon weekly 
from a book. In 1812, Mr. McLean was appointed 
a lieutenant in the ist Regiment of Leeds, and was 
under fire at the battle of Crysler s Farm, and at 
the capture of Ogdensburg. In compensation for 
his services, the Government awarded him a large 
tract of land, promoting him also to a captaincy. 
In 1838, Sir George Arthur assigned him a major s 
commission. Mr. McLean died at his residence, 
near Brockville, July I7th, 1861, in the 87th year of 
his age. 

NEAL LEMON. 

Neal Lemon, who had served in Burgoyne s army, 
came to Canada with his wife, Jemimah Butler, in 
the year 1784, settling in the ist Concessson of 
Elizabethtown, now the part occupied by the East 




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HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



End of Brockville. Truelove Butler and Bartho 
lomew Karley came in the same boat with Lemon, 
and settled upon adjoining land, now within the 
limits of Brockville. Major Lemon says that the 
first grave yard in Brockville was situated on the 
spot occupied by the front yard of the residence of 
R. P. Cooke, Esq. In 1812, Lemon learned the 
blacksmith business with a man named Peter 
Seeley. Seeley came from Connecticut with a com 
pany bound for the Bay of Quinte. Enoch Knowlton 
and Stephen Smith were guides for the party. At 
that time, the last settlement in the State of New 
York was Rome ; from thence the path was marked 
by blazed trees to Gravelly Point (Cape Vincent.) 
A raft was constructed at Gravelly Point, upon 
which they floated to Kingston, from which they 
proceeded to the Bay, with the exception of 
Knowlton, Seeley and Smith, who came down the 
St. Lawrence on a small raft. They took on board a 
small quantity of provisions, sufficient, as they 
thought, to supply their wants until they reached 
Cole s Ferry, where there was a settlement. In con 
sequence of adverse winds, they were delayed, the 
provisions were exhausted and they were compelled 
to subsist for three days upon wintergreen berries, 
which they found on a small island. Seeley always 
regarded the discovery of the berries as a special 
mark of divine providence, as it was at a season of 
the year when berries of that kind are never known 
to be ripe. The party reached Cole s Ferry in the 
night and had only sufficient strength remaining to 
make their presence known by cries. Fortunately 
they were heard. A canoe came out and took them 
to the shore, where they were cared for until they re 
covered. Knowlton moved to Bastard. Seeley and 
Caleb Seaman commenced the manufacture of scythes 
near the Tin Cap. Major Lemon is in (1878) en 
gaged in the manufacture of ploughs, claiming to be 
the oldest plough maker in the Dominion. In 1812, 
he was engaged upon the public works in Kingston, 
being a member of the militia, from which he re 
tired a few years since with the rank of major, draw 
ing a pension for a wound received in 1837. 

RICHARD HOLMES. 

Richard Holmes was born in the United States in 
1787. He came to Canada with his father, in 1799. 
Remaining near Maitland for one year, the next 
season they removed to the Township of Yonge, 
settling in the vicinity of Lake Loyada. He was 
one of the first settlers in the Township of Kitley. 
Possessing a fair knowledge of municipal law, for 
many years he acted as legal adviser and convey 
ancer for a large section of the country. Mr. 
Holmes says that the first actual settlers of Kitley 



were some Irish families, who located near Toledo 
Gideon Leehy and his father settling on the ist 
Concession in 1806. Mr. Leehy was born in the 
first hour of the Nineteenth Century ; when he 
came to Kitley, from Merrickville, he was but six 
years of age. According to Mr. Holmes, there were 
but thirty houses in the Township in 1810. 

HIRAM BUKER. 

Mr. Buker was born in Augusta, June 6th, 1817. 
His father, Taylor Buker, was born October 4th, 
1795, m tne State of Vermont, removing to Augusta 
in 1797, where his parents settled. Taylor Buker 
died in Oxford, in 1865, his wife, Lucy Bishop, 
surviving until 1868, dying at the age of 73. The 
Bishops were U. E. Loyalists from Connecticut, and 
among the earliest settlers in Grenville. The wife 
of Taylor bore him eleven children, six of whom yet 
survive, of whom Hiram is the eldest. 

David Buker, born in Glasgow in 1745, was a sea 
captain, who sailed to America, left his ship at 
Boston, and married, settling in Vermont. After 
the close of the war of 1776, he removed to 
Canada. His family consisted of five children, who 
arrived at the age of maturity. David died in 1824, 
his wife dying in 1828. 

Hiram Buker married in October, 1838, a daughter 
of James Bishop, of Augusta ; she died in January, 
1860, having borne her husband seven children. Mr. 
Buker married for his second wife Rosanna, daugh 
ter of Benjamin Thackaberry, Elizabethtown. By 
his second wife he has had one child. Taylor Buker 
(son of Hiram) resides at Bishop s Mills ; Hiram, 
Jr., resides in Oso. In 1833, Mr. Buker erected a 
saw-mill on Lot No. 19, in the sth Concession of 
Augusta. In 1846, he removed to his present loca 
tion in the 7th Concession of Wolford, where he 
owns a farm of 950 acres. For many years he has 
been actively engaged in farming and the lumber 
business. His residence is considered one of the 
most substantial in the United Counties, and is 
finished with all the modern improvements. (See 
illustration.) 

THE WRIGHT FAMILY. 

I. The Wright family traces its geneaology back 
for seven generations, commencing the record with 
Lieutenant Abel Wright, who was born in 1631, and 
lived at Springfield, Massachusetts, from 1655 to 1725. 
His monument is in an excellent state of preservation. 
He married December ist, 1659, Martha Ritcherel, 
by whom he had thirteen children ; three died 
young, the remainder married and settled near at 
hand. From this prolific ancestor the stream of life 
has flowed on and widened until it numbers tens of 



I 4 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



thousands. Lieutenant Abel represented his town 
at the General Court, Boston, 1695. His wife was 
scalped by the Indians, July 26th, 1708, but survived 
until October i9th, of the same year. 

II. Abel Wright, his second son, born September 
25th, 1664, married Rebecca Terry, September i6th, 
1691. He was a lieutenant and raised a family of 
thirteen children. About the year 1700, he emigrated 
to Lebanon, Connecticut, where he was an extensive 
landholder. He died June and, 1745, an honored 
citizen of the State. 

III. Ebenzer Wright, born February 22nd, 1701, of 
the above family, was the father of a posterity, whose 
number in 1864, already reached four thousand souls, 
from the direct line of five sons and three daughters. 
This patriarch had three wives. His first wife, Eliza 
beth, was the daughter of Simon Newcomb ; she 
bore him three children. His second wife was Sarah, 
sister of Governer Samuel Huntington ; she bore 
him eight children. His third wife was Mrs. Mary 
(Mason), widow of David Huntington. His third 
son, Ebenezer, born June 2nd, 1727, was the Canadian 
Emigrant. 

IV. Ebenezer, the Canadian Emigrant, was of the 
fourth generation. He married Mercy Leach, daugh 
ter of Amos Leach, March nth, 1751, who bore him 
ten children, each of whom, save one, reared a 
family ; his descendants, to the number of 1,500, 
have already been traced. He lived in Mansfield 
until 1759-60, when he removed to New Fairfield, 
Connecticut, and shortly after to Newton, Sussex 
County, New Jersey. About 1765, he took up his re 
sidence at Shaftsbury, Vermont. He was a royalist 
and a churchman, and during the revolution was 
compelled to flee to Canada, leaving a valuable pro 
perty behind him. When the war closed, three of 
his sons and the two youngest daughters joined him 
in his new home, settling in Cornwall. Some time 
after, several members of the family located in 
Augusta and Edwardsburg. He died at Johnstown, 
July i8th, 1809, aged eighty-two years and six 
months. 

The children of Ebenezer and Mercy Wright were 
as follows : Abraham, born in Mansfield, Connect 
icut, 1752. He died at Kingsbury, New York, 1814, 
aged sixty-one years and six months ; his posterity 
number about two hundred and thirty. 

Captain Asahel, born August i8th, 1754, at Mans 
field, married in 1788, Eve Haynes, daughter of 
Joseph Haynes. His family consisted of nine 
children. 

Zerviah, born December 4th, 1756 ; married Chas. 
Spencer, of Shaftsbury, Vermont, March 3rd, 1775 ; 
died April 29th, 1793. 



Ebenezer, born October i5th, 1758 ; married 
Rachel Marsh about 1780 ; died June i4th, 1840. 

Amos, born June 22nd, 1761 ; married Sarah Wil- 
cox ; died at Augusta, July i8th, 1796, aged 35 
years. 

David, born November i6th, 1763 ; married Tamar 
Burritt about 1796 ; died in Cornwall, October 25th, 
1819, where some of his posterity still reside. 

Mercy, born March 26th, 1766; married, Novem 
ber i2th, 1783, George McEwan, of Vermont. She 
died December 27th, 1847. 

Sarah, born September 3rd, 1768 ; married Peleg 
Spencer in 1783. She had seven children, four of 
whom were born in Canada, where she died January 
2nd, 1844, aged 75 years and 6 months. 

Elizabeth, born April 24th, 1773; died October 
gth, 1777. 

Rebecca, born April 24th, 1776. By her first hus 
band she had one daughter ; married the second 
time, September 2nd, 1800, Henry Barnhart, of 
Cornwall. She died September 1st, 1847. 

V. The fifth generation in Canada. 

In a letter written by Amos Wright, dated Oswe- 
gatchie, October 2ist, 1791, he speaks of locating 
and building a house in the Ninth Township, where 
he says : " I have 500 acres of land in one block. 
My wife drew 800 acres on account of her father s 
merits. My brother Asahel is making improvements 
in the same place, with the design of moving his 
family in the spring. Sister Sarah and her husband 
Pheleg Spencer have each of them drawn 200 acres, 
nearly in the same place." 

Captain Asahel Wright, born August iSth, 1754, 
was a leading member of the family in Augusta. 
He had a son, Abraham, who married Elizabeth 
Purdy in 1808, and had eight children. The eldest 
of these, Amos, represented the Toronto District in 
the Provincial Parliament for several years. 

CHILDREN OF CAPTAIN ASAHEL WRIGHT. 

Captain Joseph, born May loth, 1789, at Cornwall, 
married Elizabeth Bissell in 1809, and had five 
children : Nelson, Anna, Elizabeth, Maria, and 
Silas. In 1819, Mrs. Elizabeth Wright died, and 
he married, second, Mrs. Elizabeth McNish, Sep 
tember 2oth, 1820, who lived with him forty years. 
Captain Joseph died on the homestead of his father, 
November 9th, 1876, aged 87 years and 6 months. 

John, born May loth, 1790; married Mrs. Mary 
McLean ; died in March, 1876, aged nearly 86 years. 

Abel; born May 8th, 1791 ; married Sarah Landon, 
and had the following children : Asahel, Myra, 
Nancy, Sarah, Abel, Samuel, Electa, Mary and 
Martha (twins), and Catherine. Abel died near 
Perth, aged 81 years. 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



Elizabeth, born December yth, 1792; married 
Samuel Brown ; children : Asahel ; Stephen, who 
married Mary McLean. 

Captain Asahel Wright, born May 2/th, 1794; 
married Eleanor Carpenter for his first wife, and 
Elizabeth Hurd for his second wife. Children : 
Isaiah, Cyrus, Catherine, Amos, Sarah Ann, Louisa, 
Daniel, Asahel and Eleanor (twins). 

Michael Wright, born January ist, 1796 ; had five 
children : Eliza, married James Thompson ; Mary, 
married Artemus Bissell ; James, married Lucinda 
Field first, and second Elizabeth F. Wright ; Asahel, 
married Frances Louisa Cole ; and Henry. Michael 
Wright died in Augusta, April nth, 1869. 

Captain Amos Wright, born December 23rd, 1797, 
married Minerva Wing, January i2th, 1820. Child 
ren : William, married Sarah Earl ; Elizabeth Ann ; 
Sarah ; Harriet, snarried William Bottum ; Catherine, 
married Charles McNish ; Mary, married Solomon 
Manhard ; and George Albert. Captain Amos died 
in Augusta in 1875, aged 78 years. 

Catherine Wright, born December 6th, 1800, mar- 
William Wood. 

Mark Wright, born November 2oth, 1802 ; married 
Mary McNish. His first wife died about 1838, when 
he married Amy Holden, August 7th, 1839. Mark 
Wright is the only living child of Captain Asahel 
of the fifth generation, from Lieutenant Abel 
Wright. 

Isaiah Wright, who occupies the homestead of his 
grandfather, married, June 22nd, 1846, Eliza Keays, 
of Ottawa, who was born September 2ist, 1823. 
The residence was erected in 1812. Mr. Wright 
was for twenty years Township Clerk and Treasurer 
for Augusta, and is a Justice of the Peace. His 
family consists of Florence Amelia, Emily Helen, 
Isabella Louisa, and one son. 

Cyrus Wright, born August ist, 1820; married 
Amanda Manhard. Children : Asahel, Simeon, 
Stewart, Sanford Hurd, and Daniel Carpenter. 

THE RORISON FAMILY. 

The Rorison family is of Scotch descent. Basil 
Dunbar Rorison was a captain in the Queen s 
Rangers, Lord Cornwallis army. His eldest 
brother was a captain in the Grenadier Company 
of the 37th Regiment ; one brother a lieutenant in 
the British Navy ; the other brother being a writer- 
at-law in Edinburgh, Scotland. Basil Dunbar 
Rorison left his regiment . at the close 

of the Revolutionary War, and proceeded to Leeds 
County, settling a short distance below Brockville, 
where he married a daughter of Joseph White, Esq. 
His second wife was Mary Ompstead, widow 
of Joseph White, Jr. Captain Rorison s wife bore 
the first female white child born in the Counties, 

14 



it seeing the light of day on Lot No. 4, ist Conces 
sion of Elizabethtown. The first male child was 
James Sherwood, son of Thomas Sherwood. 

Captain Rorison had two children by his first, 
and six by his second wife. The latter were Jane. 
Robert, Patty, Basil, Agnes, and Hugh. 

In 1812, Robert joined the army, serving at 
Brockville, Prescott, and Kingston, joining his half- 
brother James, who was doing duty at the latter 
place. In 1839, Robert removed to North Crosby, 
purchasing the mills from the Manhards, and also 
those erected by Sheldon Stoddard. Engaging in 
the lumber business extensively, he met with serious 
reverses. 

James and Basil both settled in the vicinity of 
Westport. The former has for some years resided 
with A. H. Merrill, Brockville, Basil remaining on 
his farm at the Upper Mills, Westport. 

THE FRASER FAMILY. 

Captain Thomas Fraser, a U. E. Loyalist, was 
Sheriff at one time of the District of Johnstown, 
and also a member of Parliament. He at one time 
owned the ground upon which the Parliament 
Buildings at Ottawa stand. Colonel R. D. Fraser, 
son of Captain Fraser, was a member of Parliament 
for Leeds for several terms, and held important 
commands of troops at the battles of Crysler s 
Farm, Ogdensburgh, and the Windmill. He was 
decorated with the medal for Crysler s Farm. 

Captain T. W. Fraser, son of Colonel R D. Fraser, 
was a captain in Her Majesty s 56th Regiment, and 
exchanged to the 2nd West India Regiment. Some 
years since he retired from the service. 

Dr. A. H. Fraser, youngest son of R. D. Fraser, 
was Staff Surgeon to General Guyon during the first 
campaign of Kars. Subsequently he was appointed 
Staff Surgeon to General Beatson, and served with 
that officer in the Crimea during the bombardment 
of Sebastopol. From that point he was ordered to 
the Dardanelles where he was Chief Surgeon of 
the British Osmanly Cavalry until the war closed. 
He was honorably mentioned in the despatches, 
and presented by the Sultan, Abdul Midjid, through 
Sir Fenwick Williams, with the Order of the Mid- 
jedie and medal for Kars, with clasp. Returning to 
Canada in 1856, the Doctor entered the American 
army as surgeon, and served three years. He now 
resides in Brockville. 

TIAEL KELLY. 

Michael Kelly, Justice of the Peace, died at Mer- 
rickville in the ySth year of his age. He was a 
native of Omagh, County Tyrone, Ireland, and a 
brother of the late Bishop of Londonderry. Emigrat 
ing to Canada in 1827, he settled at Merrickville. He 



io6 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



was for many years a successful contractor on public 
works ; subsequently he engaged in the mercantile 
business, An honored and respected citizen, he for 
several years filled the office of Coroner, Justice of 
the Peace, Commissioner in the Court of Queen s 
Bench, and was Clerk of the Division Court for 
twenty-five years. His son, E. J. Kelly, M. D., re 
sides in Merrickville. 

THE DUNHAM FAMILY. 

Daniel Dunham was born at Argyle, near Sara 
toga, New York. He left his home and travelled for 
seven days and nights to join Burgoyne s army. 
His wife was Isabella Gilles, whose brother brought 
her through the woods to join her husband. The 
Dunhams came to Canada in 1784, in the first brigade 
of boats, landing at Dunham s Bay, in Augusta, 
where the ruins of the log shanty, which they built, 
are yet to be seen. Mr. Dunham raised a large 
family, from which sprang the numerous Dunhams 
in the United Counties. James Dunham, a son of 
Daniel, had seven children, Archibald living on the 
homestead. He married Emily Sherwood, daughter 
of Reuben Sherwood, the Surveyor. Sally Dunham 
married William Dowling, of Augusta ; Maria mar 
ried Hamilton N. Sherwood ; Catherine married 
William Miller ; Nancy married Nelson Landon ; 
Caroline married Seymour G. Easton ; John married 
Jane Sherwood. Archibald Dunham has three chil 
dren living. Georgina married Edmund Perry, who 
perished in Black Bay, near Fort William ; George 
S. married a daughter of A. C. Booth ; Ellen Eliza 
married Andrew McCullough. Part of the original 
family settled in the Eastern Townships ; Dunham 
Flats being named after the family. 

JOHN NEDDO, 

THE OLDEST MAN IN THE COUNTIES. 

Mr. Neddo claims that he was born in the City of 
Paris, France, September 271)1, 1776, and therefore 
completed his one hundred and second birthday 
September 27th, 1878. He came to Canada in 1785, 
and with his parents resided in Montreal until he 
was 21 years of age. He served in the Militia in 
1812 ; and was for five years in the employ of the 
Hudson Bay Company. In 1804, he was in Kings 
ton, which he describes at that time as consisting 
of a few log houses. As a carpenter, he worked on 
the first market house erected in that city. During 
the last thirty-five years he has resided in the Town 
ship of Leeds, and was in the summer of 1878 hale 
and hearty. 

THE HOLDEN FAMILY. 

James Holden was born in Springfield, Massa 
chusetts, and came to Canada about the year 1800, 



being at that time 21 years of age. He taught 
school for some time, and then engaged in the 
lumber and potash making business, eventually 
settling on a farm in Augusta, where he died at 
the age of 86. For many years his house was 
widely known as a stopping place for Methodist 
ministers and missionaries, who were always hos 
pitably welcomed and entertained. Mr. Holden 
married first Esther Caul, by whom he had four 
sons and one daughter. The sons were : John, 
late of Prescott ; Erastus, late of Belleville ; Hiram, 
of Shannonville ; and Dr. Rufus, late of Belleville. 
The daughter married Mr. Merrick Sawye-, in 
Belleville. Mr. Holden married for his second wife 
Cynthia Whitney, by whom he had two sons and 
six daughters. One of the daughters resides on the 
homestead, her husband being Matthew Robinson ; 
one daughter married G. E. Johnston, a merchant 
in Prescott ; another marrying Lieutenant-Colonel 
David Wylie, Paymaster of the Fourth Military 
District of Ontario, formerly the editor of the 
BROCKVILI.E RECORDER. The other daughters are 
dead. 

Solomon Holden, brother of James, came to 
Canada at a very early date. He remained for 
some time in the United Counties, finally settling 
in North Gower. His son Charles resides near 
Greenbush. For many years past the descendants 
of the Holdens have occupied prominent positions 
in Belleville and Montreal as successful business 
men and honorable citizens. 

BENJAMIN TETT. 

Mr. Tett was of English descent, and was born at 
Hinton St. George, in Somersetshire, in 1798, and at 
the time of his death had completed his 8oth year. 
In 1820, he emigrated to Canada, first settling in 
Perth, where he remained for seven years, then 
locating in Newboro, of which place he was a resident 
for fifty-one years. In consequence of the building 
of the Rideau Canal, an outlet for lumber was furn 
ished. Mr. Tett availed himself of the opportunity, 
becoming a mill owner and merchant, and in many 
ways contributing to the prosperity of that section. 
While in Perth he filled the office of Deputy Registrar 
for Lanark and Deputy Clerk of the Peace for the 
Bathurst Division. As Reeve of North Crosby, he 
became a member of the Johnstown District Council, 
and subsequently of the Counties Council. During 
the rebellion of 1837-8, he rendered his country im 
portant services, for which he received the thanks of 
Sir John Colborne. A Liberal Conservative in 
politics, he was elected twice to the old Canadian 
Parliament; first in 1857, second in 1861. After con 
federation, he became the member of the First 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



107 



Provincial Legislature of Ontario. In consequence 
of old age and infirmities, he withdrew from public 
life, passing the remainder of his days in peace and 
prosperity, surrounded by the members of his family. 
He died, after a brief illness, May 15111, 1878. His 
integrity and moral worth will, for many years, be 
remembered by the citizens of Leeds, who so fre 
quently profited by his advice and enjoyed his friend 
ship and hospitality. 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

SOUTH CROSBY. 

THE first actual settler of the Township was Walter 
Davis, a U. E. Loyalist, who located in 1800, and 
drew a large tract of land, not only for himself, but 
also for his adopted son, Thomas Ripley. The 
surveys were made by Reuben Sherwood, P. L. S. 
Among the early settlers were Eben Halladay, who 
came into the municipality in 1800, Asahel Beach 
arriving shortly after. Of the Halladay boys, Alvin, 
Henry, Eben, James, and Samuel were all in the 
War of 1812, Samuel serving as a lieutenant. 

The first school house was built about iSio-n, 
the site being near Elgin. The first church was 
situated about a mile west of Elgin, and was put 
up during the year in which the survey for the 
Rideau Canal was made. 

In 1824, but one house stood within the present 
limits of the Village of Newboro , and that was 
situated in South Crosby. 

The Legetts were among the early settlers in the 
western portion of the township, many of their 
descendants yet residing there. 

The following is a summary of the Assessment 
Roll of the municipality for the year 1877 : 

Number of acres, 34,020. 

Number of acres cleared, 12,553. 

Total value of real property, 378,865. 

Value of personal property, $49,000. 

Value of income, $1,930. 

Total value of property, all kinds, $429,795. 

Number of residents, 1,915. 

Number of cattle, 2,594. 

Number of sheep, 2,499. 

Number of horses, 648. 

Among the old inhabitants of the municipality is 
Mr. Robert Dargavel, for a great many years the 
Township Clerk. 

The first person interred in the cemetery at Elgin 
was a Mrs. Matheson. 

The following is the list of Patents granted for 
land in the Township of South Crosby up to the 3ist 
of December, 1802 ; 



TOWNSHIP OF SOUTH CROSBY. 



Lot. 



I 
3 

7 

10 

12 

H 

17-18 

19 
20 

22 
24 



Matthew Howard. . . . 

Daniel Dunham 

Polly McLean 

James Brown 

Rhoda Brown 

Matthew Wing 

Samuel Seaman 

Jeremiah l- raser 

Nathaniel Brown 



Name of Grantee. 



Electa Barnett 

Alexander Barnett .... 

Jonathan Buell 

Jonathan Buell 

Matthew Howard 

2 Matthew Howard. . . . 

7 Joseph McLean 

9 Walter Davis 

1 1 Mary Wiltse 

12 Susannah Wiltse 

Rebecca W ing 

14 Samuel Strait 

16 Samuel Strait 

18-19 Samuel Strait 

21 Eve Wright 

23 Daniel McEachron.... 

24 Mary McEachron 

I Matthew Howard 

3 Jonathan Mills Church 

5 Lebray Wilcox 

6 Joseph White 

10 Joseph White 

12 Elizabeth Saunders.. . 

13 Friend Bissell 

14 John White 

15 Lucy White 

17 William Gibson 

18 Samuel Strait 

19 Anna Bissell 

22 Obediah Read 

24 Mary W right 

I Matthew Howard 



Part of Lot. 



All 

All 

All 

All 

All 

All 

All 

All 

All 

All 

All 

All 

All 

All 

All 

All 

All 

All 

All 

All 

All 

All 

All 

All 

All 

All 

All 

All 

All 
W 1-2 

All 

All 

All 

All 

All 

All 

All 

All 
W 1-4 

All 

All 



150 



Date of Patent. 



May 
Aug. 
June 
May 
May 
May 
June 
Aug. 

400 June 
June 
Aug 
June 
June 
May 
May 

200 June 
"May 
May 
May 
May 
May 
May 

400 May 
May 
June 
July 
May 
May 
June 
June 
fune 
May 
Aug. 
[une 
June 
fune 
May 
Aug. 
50 June 
May 
May 



1 7th, 1802 
loth, 1801 
30th, 1 80 1 
1 7th, 1802 
I7th, 1802 
I7th, 1802 
30th, 1801 
roth, 1801 
loth, 1801 
30th, 1801 
loth, 1801 
3oth, 1801 
3oth, 1801 
1 7th, 1802 
1 7th, 1802 
30th, 1801 
I7th, 1802 
2Oth, i So i 
20th, 1801 
1 7th, 1802 
I7th, 1802 
I7th, 1802 
1 7th, 1802 
1 7th, 1802 
3oth, 1801 
loth, 1801 
1 7th, 1802 
30th, 1801 
3oth, 1 80 1 
3Oth, 1801 
3oth, 1 80 1 
I7th, 1802 
loth, 1801 
3Oth, i So i 
30th, 1 80 1 
301)1, 1801 
i 7th, 1802 
loth, 1801 
30th, 1 80 1 
I7th, 1802 
I7th, 1807 



During the Mormon excitement, the village now 
known as Elgin received the name of Nauvoo, 
which it retained for many years. 

AUGUSTUS COON. 

Among the prosperous and wealthy farmers of 
South Crosby, Mr. Coon occupies a prominent 
place. He was born October 5th, 1817, and is the 
son of the late Abraham Coon, born at Kingsbury, 
New York, 1788. Abraham emigrated to Canada 
with his parents when about eight years of age, 
settlement being made in South Crosby in 1810, 
on Lot No. 10, 3rd Concession, where he resided 
until his death, which occurred March 24th, 1859. 

The subject of this sketch married Jemima Ripley, 
daughter of the late Thomas Ripley, March 2oth, 
1839. The result of the union was four daughters 
Adeline, Caroline, Patience, and Jemima ; their 
mother dying February 6th, 1856. On the 28th of 
January, 1858, Mr. Coon married Eliza Ann Halladay, 
by whom he had two sons, Darius A. and Wylie A. 
May ist, 1839, Mr. Coon settled on Lot No. 10, in 
the ist Concession of South Crosby, where he still 
resides. 



io8 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



For many years he served as a Town Councillor 
and member of the Township School Board ; at the 
present time he owns 300 acres of land in Crosby 
and Bastard. 

Abraham Coon was a member of the First 
General Conference of the Methodist Church at 
Lyn, and of this church his descendants have ever 
remained consistent followers. 

THE DELONG FAMILY, 

AND |$ 

MRS. MARIA L. DF.LOXC. 



George Delong came from Vermont about 
and was one of the first settlers in South Crosby. 
His family consisted of four daughters and two 
sons. Mr. Delong died in T&ffi i a g g d 75 years, his 
wife dying in r&5>, in her yoth year. The mother 
of the wife of George Delong died in 1855. having 
completed her one hunSredth year. Mr. Delong s 
sons were Jesse and Justus K. Jesse was the first 
li Jiite child born in South Crosby ; he represented 
South Leeds in the Fifth Parliament of Canada 
(1854-5 to 1858), dying in 1870. ^ 

Justus K. Delong was born in .^^T; married 
Maria L., daughter of A. H. Day, Esq., of Elizabeth- 
town. He died in 1870. Maria L. Delong, relict of 
the late Justus K., resides on Lot No. 18, in the ist 
Concession of South Crosby, the farm consisting of 
225 acres. 

The Delong family is one of the oldest and most 
influential in the County of Leeds, the members 
occupying prominent positions, being regarded with 
respect and esteem. 

BENJAMIN L. HALLADAY. 

The farm of Benjamin L. Halladay consists of 234 
acres Lot No. 13, of the 2nd Concession of South 
Crosby. Mr. Halladay was born in 1825, his father 
Ebenezer now living on Lot No. 12, in the 2nd Con 
cession, in his 85111 year, his wife being ten years his 
junior. Ebenezer Halladay was one of the first 
settlers of the township in which he resides, coming 
from Vermont in the year 1800. He has been twice 
married, having thirteen children, eight by his 
second wife, all of whom are settled in Leeds 
County. 

Benjamin L. Halladay was married in 1852, to 
a daughter of the late David B. Warren, of South 
Crosby, by whom he has five living children, two 
sons being married and settled on the farm. Mr. 
Halladay commenced life poor, but, by the exercise 
of caution, coupled with untiring industry, has 
carved out for himself a hand :; -me competence. 



JOSEPH MERRIMAN. 

Joseph Merriman occupies a farm of 289 acres on 
Lot No. 15, in the 3rd Concession of South Crosby. 
His grandfather, Joseph Merriman, came from Con 
necticut, and settled on the present homestead. He 
was a tanner and currier by trade, and the father of 
five children, one of whom, Amasa, was the father 
of the subject of this sketch. The Merriman family 
has always occupied a leading position in South 
Crosby, the descendants maintaining the good 
repute of the name, all being honored citizens. 

THE RIPLEY FAMILY, 

AND 

C. L. RIPLEY. 

Thomas Ripley was born in Litchfield County, 
Connecticut, and was brought to Canada in 1793 by 
his adopted father, Walter Davis, who settled in 
Augusta, where he remained until the year 1800, 
when they removed to South Crosby, which at that 
time was an unbroken forest. Settlement was made 
by Mr. Davis, on Lot No. 9, in the 2nd Concession, 
where the first improvements in the Township were 
made. The nearest neighbor resided in Bastard, 
seven miles distant. At one time the fire in South 
Crosby went out when Mr. Davis was compelled to 
travel fourteen miles on foot to secure a new supply. 
Mr. Ripley devoted a great portion of his lifetime to 
clearing lands, doing his milling at Gananoque, 
though at certain seasons of the year being com 
pelled to resort to the primitive stump mill. In the 
war of 1812, he served his country as a volunteer at 
Gananoque ; in the same year he married a daughter 
of his foster father, by whom he had three sons and 
two daughters. Those at present living are C. L. 
Ripley, Mary Arm r nr ro- ar f an r] Stephen R. Ripley. 

C. L. Ripley, the eldest member of the family, was 
born in 1813, on the farm now occupied by him. 
In 1835, he married Hannah Roswell, from Somer 
setshire, England. She was born in 1812, and died 
in 1863. The family resulting from the union con 
sisted of six sons and four daughters, seven of whom 
are now living. His eldest son died in September, 
1877. Mr. Ripley has always taken great interest in 
educational matters, serving the Municipality at one 
time as Local Superintendent. In 1865, he was 
gazetted a Justice of the Peace ; he also held the 
office of Township Clerk, discharging the duties de 
volving upon him in a highly satisfactory manner. 

JOHN P. PURCELL. 

Mr. J. Purcell, father of John P. Purcell, came 
to Canada when a small boy, his parents settling in 
Kingston. He attended the same school with Sir 
John A. Macdonald and Sir Henry Smith. Mr. 
Purcell learned the trade of tone CUUer and mason. 



. - 



.. 








I 



Jt 3 1 



iy\u 

1 1 n 

*-=== 











OF cJOHN i"^. I"^U.RGELU. 



o 









RESIDENCE OF G.L.RiPX,EY, SOUTH 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



109 



He laid the first stone in the canal works at Davis 
Locks, and on the completion of the canal was ap 
pointed Lock-master, a position which he held until 
1857, when he retired with a pension from the Im 
perial Government of ^24 per annum. He died 
May zgth, 1876. 

In January, 1873, John P. Purcell married Sarah, 
relict of the late James X. Belong. Previous to his 
marriage, Mr. Purcell had been in the employment 
of John Chaffey, Esq. He now resides on the home 
stead, an illustration of which is published in this 
work. 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

E0WARDSBURG. 

THE KEELER FAMILY. 

VERNE FRANCIS LARRIMER, a captain under General 
Montcalm, at the capture of Quebec by General 
Wolfe, built the first house in Edwardsburg. His 
daughter Lizette married Daniel Keeler. 

James Keeler, father of Daniel, descended from 
the Puritan stock of New England, emigrated from 
Massachusetts to New Jersey when he was three 
years of age. During the war of 1776, being at 
that time about 16 years old, he joined the Royal 
army, and served through the war. In 1792, he 
came to Canada, and settled near Kilmarnock, but 
during the ensuing winter, finding it impossible to 
get his wife and farr.ily through the snow to that 
place, he purchased Lot No. 23, in the 3rd Conces 
sion of Augusta. 

Daniel Keeler raised the following family : James, 
Ephraim, and Catherine, who married Jacob Heck. 
In 1820, Daniel removed from Augusta to the 
vicinity of Spencerville, and built a new house in 
fact it was the only one between Spencerville and 
Johnstown. 

The first settler at Spencerville was David 
Spencer, who built a mill at that place in 1811. 
Mr. James Keeler is of the opinion that the first 
religious service held in the Township, was in the 
old -Court House, New Johnstown, by two Methodist 
ministers, named Kitterick. The first sermon 
preached in the vicinity of Spencerville was de 
livered by David Wright, a Methodist circuit 
rider in 1821 or 1822. Mr. Wright rode up to the 
residence of Abraham Cummings, and said h would 
preach to the people if they would collect a congre 
gation. On the following day, the house was filled 
with settlers, all of whom were anxious to attend 
divine service. The next preaching w;;s by the 
Rev. Andrew Glen. 



Mr. James Keeler was elected to the first District 
Council of Johnstown, 1842, and has been a member 
of the Municipal Council ever since, with the excep 
tion of three years. He is one of the oldest County 
Councillors in Canada. 

Mr. Keeler married Sarah Spencer, by whom he 
had the following children: Hamilton, a doctor of 
medicine, who practiced in the Township of Yonge 
until his death ; George, who married Miss Guile, of 
Elizabethtown, and settled in Lansdowne ; William, 
who married Miss Banks ; and Samuel. Mr. Keeler 
has always been a moderate Reformer, and at one 
time was selected by the Dominion Government as 
valuator of the lands, the property of the Crown on 
Grenadier Island. 

The following list contains all the grants made 
and patents issued by the Crown up to the 3ist of 
December, 1802 : 



TOWNSHIP OF F.DWARDSBURG. 


B 

C 
L> 


Lot. 


Xame ol Grantee. 


Part of Lot. 


j 


Date of Patent. 


I 

2 
3 


i / 

4 
6 

7 
7 
8 

9 

10 

n 

ii 

12 

H 
I5-I6 

17 
17 

18 

19 

20 
22-23 
32 
34 1 
35 ! 
36-37 

:} 

4 

6 
6 

7 

91 

10 

10 

II 

13 
14 

! , K 

19 
20 
21 

22 2- 

33 
4 
9 
n 
15 16 

34 

37 


Captain Thomas Frasei 

Duncan Me Alpine.... 
Charles Doyle . 


All 
Inclg. I&2in2 

W 1-2 

E Side 

W 1-2 
E 1-2 

W 1-2 

All 

W 1-2 
W 1-2 
E 1-2 
E 1-2 

All 
All 
Lower Side 

W 1-2 

E 1-2 

All 

E 1-2 

All 

E 1-2 

\ W 1-2 1 

( AH i 
All 
All 
Inclg i&2ini 

W 1-2 

E 1-2 
W 1-2 
El-2 
W 1-2 

! W AiV a ! 

W 1-2 

E 1-2 

W Pt. 
Ft. 

E 1-2 

All 
All 

El-2 

All 
All 
Upper Side 
All 

W 1-2 

All 

All 
All 
All 
All 
All 


779 
123 

IOO 

94 

IOO 
IOO 
2OO 

118 

128 

123 
128 
190 

IOO 
2OO 
IOO 

400 
106 

300 
400 
779 

IOO 

126 
128 

"33 
114 

300 
88 
93 
78 
64 
61 

200 
IOO 

73 

IOO 
2OO 
IOO 
200 

200 
2OO 
200 

Tin 


June 4th, 1796 

June 6th, 1796 
Aug. loth, 1801 
Aug. loth, 1801 

Aug. loth, 1801 
Aug. loth, 180 1 
Mar. 1st, 1797 
June 30lh, 1801 
May I7th. 1802 
Dec. 1st, 1797 
Sept. 1st, 1797 
May 28th, 1796 
May I7th, 1802 
Mar. 1st, 1797 
May I7th, 1802 
July i6th, 1797 
July i6th, 1797 
April 6th, 1797 
June 4th, 1796 

June loth, 1801 
Xov. 25th, 1802 
June 4th, 1796 

June 6th, 1796 
May 1 7th, 1802 
June 4th, 1796 
May I7th, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 

Aug. loth, 1801 

June loth, 1801 
May I7th, 1802 
June loth, 1801 
April 6th, 1797 
May 28th, 1796 
May 28th, 1796 
Nov. 25th, 1802 
July l6th, 1797 
May I7th, 1802 
April 6th, 1797 
May I7th, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 
lune 4th, 1796 
Dec. 2nd, 1802 
May 28th, 1796 
[une 30th, i So I 
Aug. 24th, 1796 
May 171!:. ; 




Thomas Fraser 


Thomas Mcllmoyle. . . 






Thomas Mcllmoyle. . 
James Adams 


S. Weatherhead cl al. 
Capt. William Fraser. 
James FYoom . 


Abraham Bolton 
Henry Jackson 
Lieut. Gideon Adams.. 
Lieut. Gideon Adams.. 
Captain Hugh Munro.. 
William Fraser, Sen.. 

John Dulmage 


Capt. Peter Drummond 
Capt. Thomas Fraser. . 

Duncan McAlpine 
Robert Parker.. 
William Fraser, Pen.. 
Thomas Fraser 
Richard Bottum 


William Lamson 
fames Bowristeel. . . . 


William Welch 
lames Curry.. . 


Enos Bell 


Capt. William Fraser.. 
Capt. William Fraser.. 


Lient. Gideon Adams., 
[ohn Scarl. ft a!.. 
Captain Hugh Munro.. 
Donald Mclntosh. . . . 
Kidiard WailTe 
\\illiam Fiascr, Srn 

Capt. William Fraser.. 
Alexander Chisholm. 
Menrv Irssup 


ThoiiKK Fi.i-.rr 
[ohn McKindlav.. . 



no 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



TOWNSHIP OF FDWARDSBURG (Continued.) 



d 
E 

U 


Lot. 


Name of Grantee. 


Fart of Lot. 


s. 

(U 
< 


Date of Patent. 


1 
5 

6 

7 
8 


I 

2 

3 
4 
4 

I 

10 

ii 
15-16 

20 
22 

23 
32) 

33 

34 \ 
35-36 
37 
8 

9 

10 

12 ) 

13 
H) 

15 \ 

,6} 

21 

22 

24 1 
2 5 
26 

27 ! 
28 

29 

30 j 
32 

33 
35 
36 
37 

i 

3 

3 

5 

6 

7 

12 
13 

4 
IS 
16 

18 

21 
22 
23 
29 
33-31 

33 
33 i 

36-37 

2 

3 
4 

8 
9 
9 

10 

ii 

16 
i? 
19 

20 
21 

32 

33 
35 
37 
37 

2 
4 


ames Grant 


All 
All 
All 

W 1-2 
E 1-2 

All 
All 
All 

W 1-2 
Pt. 

W 1-2 

All 
All 

All 

All 
All 
All 
AH 
All 

All 

All 

All 
All 

NPt 

W 1-2 

All 
All 
All 
All 
All 

El-2 
W 1-2 

W 3-4 
Ei- 4 

All 
All 
All 
All 

W 1-2 

All 
All 

W 1-2 

All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
W 3 - 4 
Ei- 4 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
W 1-4 

E3-4 

All 
All 


2OO 
200 
20C 
IOC 
IOO 
200 
20C 
2OO 
IOO 

IOO 

!00 
200 

*>OO 

400 
200 
200 
200 
200 

OOO 

400 

2OO 
200 

IOO 

Ji > 
2OO 
200 
2OO 
200 
IOO 
IOO 
150 

5 

20O 
2OO 
200 
200 
IOO 
2OO 
200 
IOO 
2OC 
200 
200 
2OO 
4OO 
20O 
2OO 
2OO 
400 
2OO 
200 
2OO 
2OO 
200 
150 

5 

2OO 
2OO 
200 
200 
200 
2OO 
2OO 
2OO 
200 
2OO 

5 
150 

2OC 
200 


May 171)1, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 
May 26th, 1796 
May 28th, 1796 
May 26th, 1796 
May 26th, 1796 
May 26th, 1798 
May I7lh, 1802 
Dec. and, 1802 
May 28th, 1796 
May 1 7th, 1802 
May 28th, 1796 
May 28th, 1796 

May 28th, 1796 

June 3oth, 1801 
June loth, 1801 
May 171)1, 1802 
Nov. 25th, 1802 
May I7th, 1802 

Aug. 1 3th, 1799 

Aug. 1 3th, 1799 

Mar. 1st, 1797 
May I7th, 1802 

May 26th, 1796 

May I7th, 1802 
May 26th, 1798 
May iyth, 1802 
April I4th, 1798 
May 1 7th, 1802 
Mar. ist, 1797 
June 30th, 1801 
Aug. loth, 1801 

Mar. 1st, 1797 

Dec. 2nd, 1802 
.Mar. 1st, 1797 
Mar. ist, 1797 
Aug. 24th, 1797 
(une 8th, 1796 
fur.e 4th, 1796 
[unc loth, 1801 
Mar. 1st, 1797 
May 1 7th, 1802 
Nov. 251)1, 1802 
May 27th, 1797 
Mar. ist, 1797 
June 4th, 1796 
[line 4th, 1796 
July 24th, 1799 
[une loth, 1801 
Nov. 251)1, 1802 
June 4th, 1796 
fune 30th, 1801 
[une loth, 1801 
Dec. 2nd, 1802 
June 4th, 1796 
May I7th, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 
June loth, 1801 
June 4th, 1796 
|uly i6th, 1797 
July i6th, 1797 
May 1 7th, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 
Mar. ist, 1797 
Tune loth, ioi 
June loth, 1801 

Mar. 1st, 1797 

May I7th, 1802 
May 171)1, 1802 


\lexander Campbell . . 


Uexander Campbell . . 
Vlexamler Campbell... 
Mark William Smith 


Thomas Boyd 
Japt. William Fraser. . 




Alexander Campbell . 
\lexander Campbell. 


"hilip Uulmage. . . . 






ohn Dennison 


lenry Bigford et a/... 
ames Jackson ct al.. . 

Alexander Campbell.. 


iobcrt Parker ct al.. . . 
William Snyder ct al . . 
William Walsh ct al. . . 


\braham Bolton et al.. 




acob Benistile 






:ienry Bigford et al 
U.-Col. Ebenr. Jessup 
^apt. Thomas Fraser. . 
Capt. Thomas Fraser. . 


L Ienry Anderson 


Capt. P. Drummond.. 
Dapt. Joseph Jessup. . . 


William Fraser, Sr.... 
William Fraser, Sr.. . 
Th&s. and Wm. Fraser 
[ohn Dulmage 
Japt. Peter Drummond 
Japt. Thomas Fraser. . 


[ohn Dulmage 


Japt. Thomas Fraser . . 
William McNeal. . . 


[ohn McKeniven 


Thomas Armstrong.. . 
William Fraser, Sr. . . . 
Lieut. Gideon Adams . . 
Lieut. Gideon Adams . . 






Thomas Armstrong. 
Elins Dulmage 




William McNeal. . . . 


William Saunders . . 



TOWNSHIP OF EDWARDSBURG (Continued.} 



B 

C 


Lot. 


Name of Grantee. 


Part of Lot. 


u 


Date of Patent. 


8 


6 


Ephraim Jones. . . 
John Burke ct al 


All 
All 


200 
2OO 


May I7th, 1802 
Mar. 1st, 1797 




8 
10 


John McKindlay. . . . 


All 

All 


2OO 
2OO 


May 1 7th, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 




1 1 




All 


2OO 


May I7th, 1802 




13 


Thomas Fraser 


All 




June 3oth, 1801 


9 


1-2 

17 1 
IS/ 


Capt. William Fraser. . 
Robert Parker 
Capt. P. Drummond.. 
John McKindlay 
Christopher Crl. Hall / 
Tread way ct al.. .. . ( 


All 
All 
All 
All 

All 


2OO 
2OO 
2OO 
400 

4OO 


May 28th, 1796 
Mar. 26th, 1798 
Nov. 25th, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 

May 1 7th, 1802 



None in loth Concession. 



The following is a summary of the Assessment of 
the Township for 1877 : 

Number of persons assessed, 1,212. 
Number of acres assessed, 69,826. 
Number of acres cleared, 32,201. 
Value of real property, $1,189,610. 
Value of taxable income, $800. 
Value of personal property, $68,850. 
Amount of real and personal property, $1,258,460. 
Taxes imposed by Municipality, $5,082. 
Taxes imposed by Counties, $2,949. 
Expenditure for roads and bridges, $1,561. 
Expenditure for schools, $1,659. 
Total assets, $31,279. 

JAMES MILLER ; 
EARLY INCIDENTS. 



John Miller came to Canada in 1833, from Scot 
land. He purchased part of Lot 21, in the yth Con 
cession, from Daniel Keeler. At that time there 
were but three houses in Spencerville, occupied by 
Daniel Spencer, David Snyder and George Ruther 
ford. Mr. Miller raised the following family : 
Margaret, who married Thomas Ferguson ; David. 
resides in Oxford ; Jennett, who married Walter 
Elliott, of Beachburg ; and James. John Miller died 
in February 1859, aged 78 years. He opened the 
first blacksmith shop in the township, and for many 
years carried on an extensive business, three of his 
sons assisting in the trade. He was an elder in 
the Presbyterian Church and took an active part in 
building the first Presbyterian Church at Spencer 
ville. The building was of stone and put up in 1837, 
through the exertions of Dr. Boyd, of Prescott. Dr. 
Boyd was instrumental in building a church in 
South Gower in 1830 ; one at North Augusta about 
1840, and another at Mainsville about 1841. Subse 
quently to the building of the church at Spencerville, 
services were held in the school house, in private re 
sidences and in barns, in the warm season. We 
learn from Mr. James Miller that for many years the 
church was without seats, being furnished with a few 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



in 



planks placed on blocks. The first church erected 
in the Township was the small stone one built at 
Edwardsburg. On the first letter which Mr. John 
Miller received in Canada from his friends in 
Scotland, he was compelled to pay six shillings in 
postage. The nearest post office at that time was 
Prescott. Among the first school teachers in the 
municipality was the late W. B. Imrie, who taught 
in a frame school house about half a mile from 
Spencerville, near the present residence of James 
Miller. 

Among the early settlers in the Spencerville settle 
ment were Daniel Cummings, Lot No. 21, in the 7th 
Concession ; John Cron, Lot 18, 8th Concession ; 
Levi Adams, who came into the Township about 
1830, and settled at a place now called Ventnor, 
where he built a saw mill. The first saw mill was 
built by Daniel Spencer, at Spencerville. David 
Keeler, Lot 23, yth Concession ; Felix DeLorimer 
kept a small grocery store in Spencerville, but lived 
on a farm out of the village ; William Lemon, Lot 
24, 7th Concession ; William McKnight, Lot 21. 
William Bennett and Andrew Bennett were also 
early settlers. William was the father of John 
Bennett, now of Spencerville. 

In the Lawrence settlement there were George 
Drummond, who was killed in the battle of the 

Windmill, John Lawrence, Samuel Dulmage, 

White, David, Elisha and William Brown, George 
Keeler. 

Among those who settled on the 5th Concession, 
the place being known as the " Hnnter settlement," 
was John Hunter, his sons being John, Allan and 
Andrew ; Adam Linnin, Robert Linnin, John Linnin, 
Alexander Fraser, George Cowdory, Robert Din- 
woodie, Robert McLatchie and W T illiam Smail. 

James Miller, son of John Miller, was born in April 
1821, in Scotland, and came to Edwardsburg with 
his father in 1833. He resides on the homestead, 
which consists of two hundred and thirty acres. 
After his arrival in Canada, he did not attend school 
but a very few days and at an early age learned the 
blacksmith business with his father. Mr. Miller 
married in 1853, Ann, daughter of Archibald Fraser, 
of Perth. Mr. Fraser came to Canada in 1815, and 
was one of the first settlers on the Scotch Line. 
Mrs. Miller s grandfather, John Holliday, was 
sent out to Perth as a teacher, by the Imperial 
Government, and continued the duties of his pro 
fession for fifty years. On his arrival in Brockville, 
he opened a school in a building belonging to 
Billa Flint, and kept the school open during the 
winter ; the families of the Scotch emigrants having 
been left in Brockville until log houses could be 
erected at Perth. Mr. Miller has been a member of 



the Municipal Council for some ten years, also 
serving as Reeve. He has frequently been solicited 
to offer himself as a parliamentary candidate in the 
Liberal interest. 

Silas Shaver, of Cardinal, and Grand Trunk agent 
at that place, is a descendant of an old U. E. Loyalist 
family ; the members of which were among the first 
settlers of the Township. 

R. C. CHURCH, CARDINAL. 

The structure is of brick, 50x36 feet in area, and 
is ornamented by a tower and spire of excellent pro 
portions. The architecture is Gothic, the design 
being from the hand of James Dowsley, of the vil- 
liage, Thomas Russell, of Morrisburg, completing 
the contract. The auditorium is comfortably seated. 
The ground upon which the church is built was 
generously donated by W. T. Benson, Esq., who also 
contributed liberally to the fund. Previous to the 
erection of the present structure, services were held 
in the old school house. The erection of the church 
is in a great measure due to the untiring energy and 
perseverence of Father O Donnell, Parish Priest at 
Prescott. The church officers for 1878, are: R. P. 
McMillan, L. Byrne, C. J. Farley and William Dillon. 

LIST OF TOWNSHIP OFFICERS, EDWARDSBURG, 1813. 

Samuel Dulmage, Town Clerk. 

Thomas Armstrong and Peleg Spencer, Assessors. 

George W. Tuker, Collector. 

John Adams is of United Empire Loyalist descent, 
his father having been one of the original settlers. 
Mr. Adams was elected a member of the Counties 
Council in 1850, and has served the municipality 
as Councillor, Reeve, and Deputy-Reeve for twenty- 
years. He is the Recording Steward of the Canada 
Methodist Church for 1878 ; but, since 1875, has 
retired from active political life. 

PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, CARDINAL. 

The first church built by the Presbyterians was 
erected about the year 1827. It was a plain stone 
structure, but as the village grew, proved inadequate 
for the wants of the congregation. In 1877, an ele 
gant church was built; the building is of red brick, 
faced with white, with a Norman tower, surmounted 
by a handsome spire 110 feet in height, the dimen 
sions of the building being 56x34 feet. The interior 
is finished in exquisite taste, the walls and ceiling 
being frescoed in Italian style. The first pastor of 
the church was Dr. Boyd, of Prescott. The late 
Rev. Andrew Melville and the late Rev. D. Taylor 
officiated for many years. The present incumbent 
is the Rev. W. M. McKibbon, B. A. The new church 
was formally opened November nth, 1877, by the 



112 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



Rev. Dr. McVicar, of Montreal. Church Officers 
for 1878 : James Thompson, Daniel Poaps, Henry 
Wylie (now deceased.) 

CARDINAL PUBLIC SCHOOL. 

The school house is a commodious brick structure, 
the grounds a model of neatness, surrounded by 
shade trees, and well worthy of imitation. Mr. 
Alexander Smith is the principal, whose efficiency 
is attested by the fact that he has occupied his 
present position for nine years. 

JOSEPH C. IRVINE. 

Mr. Irvine was born on one of the Shetland 
Islands in 1837, and was educated in an academy 
in Scotland. In 1852, he emigrated to Canada, 
and in 1862 proceeded to British Columbia, where 
he engaged in gold mining for five years. Return 
ing to Ontario, he settled in Edwardsburg-, entering 

O o 

the mercantile business, and purchasing produce 
upon an extensive scale. He has represented the 
municipality for three years in the Connties 
Council, and at the last general election for the 
Local Legislature opposed, unsuccessfully, the 
Hon. C. F. Fraser for the representation of South 
Grenville. 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 

YONGE FRONT. 

DANIEL MALLORV and his wife came from Vermont 
in 1784; Mr. Mallory being a U. E. Loyalist. He 
first settled at Mallorytown Landing, but shortly 
after moved to the farm now occupied by his grand 
son, Ira Mallory. Mr. Mallory s family consisted of 
the following children : Daniel, who married Eliza 
beth Randolph and settled in Mallorytown, raising a 
family of fourteen children (two of whom died 
young), the remainder settling in close proximity to 
each other. Samuel married Amy Patterson ; their 
family was also large ; Peggy, a daughter, married 
Julius Guild ; Anna married Israel Guild ; Hulda 
married Daniel Seaman, near Brockville ; Salachy 
married Stephen Ducolon ; Rachel married Samuel 
Trusdell ; Molly married Nathaniel Baxter There 
were also Israel, Nathaniel, Noah, Ilutcheson and 
Sally. 

Andrew, the third son of Daniel Mallory, Sr., 
married Mary Whitney, by whom he had four 
children ; Polly married Israel Perkins ; Phccbe 
married a man named Armstrong ; Nancy married 
Ichabod Fell ; Philinda married Edmund Dunsmore. 

Peter Mallory had two sons ; William died in 
Blenheim ; Peter, jr., resides in Oshawa. 



David Mallory married Hulda Patterson nee 
Keeler. His family consisted of Ira, Charles, Amasa 
W., Lavina, who married Shubel Kelly ; Elizabeth 
married Oran Adams ; Hulda married Charles 
Wilcox ; Mercy married Henry S. Judd ; Clara 
married T. T. Lee. 

Israel Mallory married Phcebe Eyres. His family 
consisted of Ephraim, Israel, William and Hiram. 

The family of James Mallory consisted of Alvah ; 
Nancy, who married John H. Hughes ; Elizabeth, 
Lucinda, Fanny, and Sarah. 

John Mallory raised the following family : Amos, 
John, Jr., Laura, who married Rev. George Jones ; 
Sally, married Wilson Shipman ; and Sabra. 

Elizabeth Mallory married William Andress. 

Polly Mallory married Jeremiah Mallory, an emi 
grant from the United States, he being a distant 
relative of the original settlers. Family of Jere 
miah : Elisha, David, Henry, Thomas ; Hulda, who 
married Thomas Kenyon ; Mercy, married Edward 
S. Thomas ; Catherine, married L. Wickwire ; 
Lucinda married Elliott Metcalfe. 

Mercy Mallory married Peter Trickey. 

Catherine Mallory married C. Ayres, and raised 
a numerous family. 

For many years past Mr. Ira Mallory has been 
Treasurer of the Municipality : many of the re 
maining descendants also occupying leading posi 
tions in the Township. 

THE TENNANT FAMILY, 

AND 

GEORGE TENNANT. 

William Tennant, Sen., was born in Dumfries 
shire, Scotland, in 1794. At the age of 20 he 
emigrated to New Brunswick, where he remained 
two years. Taking passage on a ship he arrived in 
Montreal, and from that city proceeded on foot to 
the Township of Yonge, where he located, and re 
sides at the present time. Shortly after his arrival 
he married Ann Cain, whose ancestors are among 
the first settlers of the Municipality ; Caintown 
receiving its name from the family. Mr. Tennant s 
family consisted of nine sons and two daughters, 
viz. : David, William, Jr., Thomas, George, Robert, 
John, James, Derrick, Christopher, Mary and Jane. 

George Tennant, the fourth son of William Ten 
nant, was born July 241)1, 1830, in the Township of 
Yonge, and commenced life as a school teacher in 
1845, at the same time giving some attention to 
farming until 1850. After visiting the Western 
States, he returned to Caintown, where he taught 
for three years, marrying Emeline, daughter of 






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RESIDENCE OF REUBEN FIELD S.MALLORYTOWN. 




RE s IDENCE OF JEREMIAH WILT SE, 





FARMERSVILLE. 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



Squire Thompson, of Escott. In the fall of 1854, he 
entered the mercantile business in company with his 
brother William, at Caintown ; disposing of his in 
terest to his brother, he again visited the Western 
States, but returned to Canada and opened a general 
store at Haskin s Point, Seeley s Bay (1855.) He at 
once entered very extensively into the lumbering 
and cord wood business. Taking a deep interest in 
public affairs, he was twice chosen a member of the 
Municipal Council for the Rear of Leeds and Lans- 
downe. In 1859, he removed to Mai lory town, carry 
ing on the mercantile business at that place as well 
as at Seeley s Bay. Subsequently he sold out at 
Haskin s Point to John C. Miller, devoting his atten 
tion principally to furnishing supplies for the Grand 
Trunk Railway. In 1861, he was elected Councillor 
for the Front of Yonge, and was chosen Reeve. 
From that date up to 1867, he represented the muni 
cipality in the Counties Council (with the exception 
of one year.) In the fall of 1867, he engaged in 
railroading in company with W. II. Wilson, of 
Brockville. He continued railroading till 1872, 
during which time he built five and a-half miles in 
New Brunswick, then called the western extension ; 
eighteen miles in the State of Maine ; the European 
and North American Railroad ; thirty-four miles in 
Maine called the Belfast and Moosehead Lake Rail 
road ; also forty-three miles of the Portland and 
Ogdensburg Railroad ; and twelve miles in New 
Hampshire called the Wolfborough Branch, after 
which he returned to Canada and commenced an 
extensive business at Mclntosh Mills (of which he is 
proprietor.) He thoroughly repaired and furnished 
the grist mill with all modern improvements, con 
verted the old, upright saw mill into a large and 
spacious building with a circular saw, shingle 
machine and cheese box machinery, affording em 
ployment to a large number of men the whole year. 
He has built a very attractive store and several tene 
ment houses, and has caused the once dilapidated 
looking place to be a cheerful, busy spot. From 
1873 to 1877, both inclusive, he was elected Reeve 
and retired in 1878 ; during this term Mr. Tennant 
occupied very prominent positions in the Counties 
Council, having a seat upon almost every important 
committee. Mr. Tennant was also the unanimous 
choice of the Reform party to represent South Leeds 
in the Local Legislature in 1867, but withdrew his 
candidature in favor of Hon. S. Richards. His family 
consists of only one daughter, who married O. L. 
Potter, son of the late Doctor Potter. 

DAVID D. TKNXANT. 

The subject of this sketch was born September 
I5th, 1824, in the Township of Yonge, on the farm 
of which he is now owner. His first wife, Betsy Ann 

15 



Hogeboom, died in 1849. He married for his second 
wife Mary Simmonds, by whom he has had four 
children. The residence of Mr. Tennant is one of 
the most attractive in the township, presenting a 
model of neatness and taste. See illustration. 

JAMES FLOOD. 

Mr. Flood emigrated from the County of Wexford, 
Ireland, in 1826. After a residence in Brockville of 
two years, he removed to the 4th Concession of 
Yonge (then a dense woods), where he has since 
resided. Some years since he was appointed a 
Justice of the Peace, and is a highly respected 
citizen of the municipality. 

Mass was first celebrated in this Township in 
1836, at the residence of James Flood, by the Rev. 
Philip O Riely, who at that time resided in 
Brockville. 

The R. C. Church was completed and dedicated 
in 1861, the first mass being held on Christinas of 
the same year by Father Byrnes. The site for the 
church was given by James Flood. 

JOHN DICKEY. 

Mr. Dickey was born May 28th, 1833, in the 
Township of Yonge, removing to Williamsburg in 
1836, with his parents. Having qualified himself 
for the profession, he taught school for several 
years in the County of Dundas. In 1859, he re 
moved to the Front of Yonge, and commenced 
farming, at which business he has since continued. 
He was married, July gth, 1867, to Catherine, daugh 
ter of Peter Purvis, Esq., Yonge. In 1869, he was 
elected a member of the Municipal Council, of which 
he has been a member, with the exception of one 
year, ever since. In 1878, he was elected Reeve, 
and as the representative of the municipality in the 
Counties Council has carefully guarded the best 
interests of his constituents. Mr. Dickey is the son 
of the Rev. John Dickey, a well-known Presbyterian 
clergyman, who possessed more than average ability 
as a poet. 

REUBEN FIELDS. 

Mr. Fields is descended from United Empire 
Loyalist stock, his grandfather having married 
Mary, a daughter of Truelove Butler, one of the 
first settlers of Elizabethtown. 

His father, Nathaniel Fields, was born in Eliza 
bethtown in 1800, and died in 1831. His wife was 
Elizabeth, daughter of John Anihony, an emigrant 
from Vermont. Nathaniel spent his life in South 
Elmsley, leaving behind him three chilren Reuben, 
William, and Charlotte. William resides in Fulton 
County, Ohio ; Charlotte is the wife of Mr. Potter, 
of Fulton, N ew York. 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



The subject of this sketch resides in the Village 
of Mallorytown. He was born in 1824, in the Town 
ship of South Elmsley, Leeds County ; and married 
in 1849, Mary Ann, daughter of the late John 
Hagerman, Esq., by whom he has seven children, 
five of whom are now living. One daughter is the 
wife of Marcus Greir, of Yonge. One son, Norman 
H. Fields, resides in Mallorytown. 

Mr. Fields was for many years a member of the 
Township Council of Escott, serving most of the 
time as Reeve. In the year 1869, he was elected 
Warden of the United Counties, filling that impor 
tant position with credit to himself and the Counties. 
Mr. Fields received a unanimous nomination at the 
hands of the Liberals of South Leeds at the last 
general election for the Local Legislature, but was 
defeated in consequence of Yonge Front and Rear 
being attached to Brockville Riding. During the 
past two years he has served as License Inspector 
for Brockville and South Leeds. 

SAMUEL MILLER. 

Henry Miller was born in Prussia Proper, and as a 
soldier was sent to America during the revolution, 
by the Prince of Hesse Cassel. At the close of the 
war, he removed to Canada, settling in Elizabeth- 
town, where he married Sally Robbins, the ceremony 
being performed by Colonel Breakenridge, then 
widely known as the Duke of Leeds. Samuel Miller 
was born in Elizabethtown, January nth, 1797. In 
1798, he moved to the Township of Yonge, where he 
has since resided. He was a volunteer in the War 
of 1812-15, serving at Prescott and Kingston. He 
married in 1819, Melita Hayes, by whom he had the 
following children : John, Henry, Samuel, Jr., Anise, 
who married John Thompson ; Melita, who married 
John Dickey ; Martha, who married John Huntley ; 
Matilda, who married William Purvis ; and Sarah, 
unmarried. Mr. Miller has twenty-two grand chil 
dren and three great grand children. Previous to 
the inauguration of the municipal system, he was 
the officer of the day at township meetings, acting 
under Squire Munsell. The Sandfield McDonald 
Administration appointed him a Justice of the Peace. 
Mr. Miller has been a life-long Liberal, and at his 
advanced age takes the deepest interest in public 
affairs. A sketch of John C. Miller, M. P. P., will be 
found in another chapter. 

The Township contains eight churches, viz : The 
M. E. Church at Mallorytown, a fine brick building 
50x30, with tower and spire, built in 1876, at a cost 
of $7,500, the Rev. J. D. Bell, pastor ; the C. M. 
Church, brick, erected for some time ; the M. E. 
Church, Caintown, brick ; the C. M. Church, Cain- 
town, wooden, belongs to the Mallorytown and Lyn 



charge ; the English Church in the Third Concession, 
wooden ; the R. C. Church, in the Rear of the Town 
ship ; a small stone building in the Second Con 
cession is the property of the Presbyterians, but is 
only used occasionally. The Presbyterian Church at 
Caintown was erected in 1876, at a cost of $4,000 ; 
it is a brick structure The total membership is about 
seventy. 

GEORGE PURVIS. 

Mr. Purvis was born in Toronto in 1799, his father 
being George Purvis, a soldier in the British army 
a member of the Queen s Rangers. On the death 
of his father, his mother again married in the army. 
While a child, Mr. Purvis was taken to the posts at 
Niagara, Fort Maiden, Mackinaw, and Montreal. In 
1813, he came up the St. Lawrence in a Durham 
boat, the journey from Montreal occupying three 
weeks. At that time he was but 13 years of age. 
The family at once removed to the vicinity of Mal 
lorytown, where they found the following settlers : 
Asa Hutchison, Jeremiah Mallory, David Mallory, 
Lemuel Mallory, Daniel Mallory, James Brooker, 
Henry Trickey, Henry Miller, Derrick Hogaboom. 
In the Township there also resided Billa La Rue, 
John McNiel, Houston Grant, Mr. Keys, Mr. Baldwin, 
and Mr. Landon. 

During the war, prices became very high ; flour 
was $20 per barrel. At one time Mr. Purvis worked 
six days for six yards of cotton, and considered 
himself well paid. During the Mormon excitement 
Elder Page and a negro came to Mallorytown, and 
held meetings, creating great excitement, but did 
not secure any converts. Before the war, the mail 
was carried regularly from Montreal to Toronto fain- 
limes, a year. In 1816-7, Mr Purvis carried the mail 
between Kingston and Prescott. 

William Avery, a U. E. Loyalist, came to Canada 
at an early date from Cherry Valley, State of New 
York. At the time of the Revolution his father 
owned 900 acres of land in that State, which was 
confiscated by the Republicans. Mr. Avery first 
settled in Elizabethtown, but afterwards removed 
to Yonge, where James was born. James died in 
1866, leaving five sons and four daughters. 

The following is a summary of the assessment of 
the Township for 1877 : 

Number of persons assessed, 401, 

Number of acres assessed, 31,089. 

Number of acres cleared, 12,806. 

Value of real property, $383,153. 

Value of taxable income, $650. 

Value of personal property, $42,230. 

Amount of real and personal property, $425,383. 

Taxes imposed by Municipality, $1,054. 
Taxes imposed by Counties, $895. 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



THE PARISH FAMILY. 

William Parish, a U. E. Loyalist, emigrated from 
New Hampshire, and arrived in Canada during the 
year 1791. He halted for some time at Crysler s 
Farm, but in the same year proceeded with his wife 
to the Township of Yonge, where he located in the 
month of November, upon Lot No. 10, in the ist 
Concession. According to particulars furnished. by 
Arza Parish, he was the first man who drove a team 
from Jesse Lamb s place (now called the Six Mile 
House) to the rear of Yonge. George Bates moved 
into the same Township during the fall of 1791, and 
became a neighbor of Mr. Parish ; Colonel Benoni 
Wiltse arrived in the spring of 1792 (this assertion 
is disputed.) Soon after Mr. Wiltse s arrival, his 
two brothers, James an i Jeremiah, and a half 
brother, John arrived, and, in consequence, the 
Settlement became known as Wiltse Town. Benoni 
Wiltse, who settled on lot No. n, in the 8th con 
cession, where there was a small supply of water, 
built the first grist and saw mill, Paul Glassford 
superintending the work. 

William Parish was born February 6th. 1766, and 
died May zgth, 1839 : his wife Sally, was born July 
8th, 1766, died April sth, 1839. Their family con 
sisted of the following children : William, Edward ; 
Polly, who married Philip Brown, son of Nathaniel 
Brown ; Joel ; Rachael, married William Bresee, of 
Bastard ; Ezekiel, John and Arza. 

William, Edward, and Joel served in the war of 
1812. Arza is a well-known merchant and respected 
citizen of Farmersville. 



CHAPTER XXIX. 

SOUTH EI.MSLEV. 

THE Township was first settled in 1815, by Old 
Country emigrants and discharged soldiers, each of 
whom received a grant of one hundred acres of land. 
Nine of the first settlers are yet living (December 
1878.) 

Daniel Donaldson and his sons, Thomas, John, 
James and David, settled on Rideau Lake, above the 
Ferry. John Oliver settled at the Ferry, which re 
ceived its name from him. Three families of Mac- 
donalds, Donald, John and Alexander settled near 
Rideau Lake. Richard Ringer, a discharged soldier 
and John McCollum, were among the first comers. 
Walter Armstrong located on the lower side of the 
Township, near Elmsley Toll-gate. Francis Lom 
bard settled at the Corners which bear his name. 
Elisha and Solomon Landon came in about 1820. 



EDWARD F. WEEKS. 

Mr. Weeks was born in the County of Antrim, 
Ireland ; he emigrated to Canada in 1839, and settled 
in South Elmsley. He represented the Township in 
the District Council, and for several years has filled 
the office of Township Clerk. He was also ap 
pointed a Justice of the Peace in 1859. 

The first members of the Township Council were : 
Elisha Landon, Hugh Flook, Robert Wood, Joseph 
Falkner and Walter Armstrong. Messrs. Landon, 
Wood and Armstrong are dead. 

Lombardy received its name from a By-law passed 
in the Counties Council for the establishment of 
fairs ; the Post Office Department, however, de 
signated the Post Office, South Elmsley. In conse 
quence of a petition sent to the Department from 
the Municipal Council, the name was changed to 
"Lombardy." 

JAMES HOURIGAN. 

Mr. Hourigan was born July 25th, 1808, in the 
County Clare, Ireland, and came to Canada in 1828, 
settling first at Smith s Falls, afterwards taking up 
his residence in Kitley. In 1833, he removed to his 
present residence on Lot No. 15, of the Third Con 
cession of South Elmsley. He married in 1832, 
Helen, daughter of the late George O Rielly, who 
has borne him twelve children, three sons and nine 
daughters. Mr. Hourigan was appointed a Justice 
of the Peace in 1856 ; in 1855, he was first elected 
Reeve and has held the position for twenty years. 
In the Counties Council he has always been dis 
tinguished for his unflinching integrity. 

Israel Bowen, with several sons, located near the 
site of the present cemetery, which was a gift from 
Mr. Bowen. Mrs. Bowen was the first person buried 
in the cemetery. 

Rufus Edmunds settled in the lower part of the 
municipality about 1822. 

A discharged soldier settled on the Lot now owned 
by Charles Bisnett. 

James Brennan, an emigrant, settled in the First 
Concession previous to 1820. 

William Smart, an English emigrant, drew land in 
the First Concession, adjoining Brennans. 

Clark Nichols purchased Lot 19, in the First Con 
cession, in 1816 ; he died in 1856, aged seventy-five 
years, leaving thirteen children. George, a son, re 
sides in the Township ; Eldad, another son, resides 
near Toledo. 

The first hotel was kept by Charles Lombard. 

The present system of municipal organization was 
adopted in 1850, when South Elmsley elected the 
following officers : Elisha Landon, Reeve ; Robert 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



Graham, Treasurer ; Edward Chalmers, Clerk 
Michael Hourigan, Assessor. 

The municipal officers for 1878 are : 
Reeve: James Hourigan. 
Clerk : Thomas O Reilly. 

Treasurer : Michael O Mara. 

Assessor : Peter McEwan. 

Collector : John McTavish. 

Councillor : Michael Dooher, Thomas Miller, Wal 
ter Hyslop, and E. Moorehouse. 

The Township contains one church (English), 
standing on Lot No. 18, of the 2nd Concession. 

The following is a summary of the assessment of 
the municipality for 1877 : 

Number of persons assessed, 244. 

Number of acres assessed, 30,150, 

Number of acres cleared, 20,165. 

Value of real property, $196,118. 

Value of personal property, $26,573. 

Amount of real and personal property, $222,681. 

Taxes imposed by Municipality, $2,310. 

Taxes imposed by Counties, $750. 

Expenditure for roads and bridges, $100. 

By the joint action of the Town of Perth and the 
Dominion Government, a substantial bridge was, a 
few years since, built at the Ferry, the contractors 
being Messrs. Koyl & Rowe. 

For the past two years, a branch agricultural 
society has been established at Lombardy. 

In 1878, the Township contained twenty-three 
stone residences. 

The following list contains all the grants made 
and patents issued by the Crown up to the jist of 
December, 1802 : 

TOWNSHIP OF SOUTH ELMSLEY. 



1 

u 


Lot. 


Name of Grantee. 


Part of Lot. 


O 

< 


Date of Patent. 


I 


19 


Thomas Kreel 


All 






2 


9 

29 


Catherine McKue 
Mary Treaky 


All 
All 


200 
200 


Aug. 2oth, 1801 
Aug. 2Oth, 1801 



CHAPTER XXX. 

KlTLEY. 

JOHN WOODS, a United Empire Loyalist, came to 
Kitley at a very early date. Mr. Woods was the 
father of David Woods, otherwise mentioned. John 
died at the residence of his granddaughter, in 1856. 
David married a daughter of William Brown, by 
whom he had three children. 

Major William Reed, with his sons Samuel, Wil 
liam, John and David, together with eight daughters, 
settled in the Township previous to 1800. The 
family was of Irish descent, and emigrated from 



Georgia. They drew Lot No. 27, of the 8th, and 
Lot 30, of the 7th Concessions. 

Oliver Church and his sons, Oliver, Joseph, and 
William, were American emigrants, who settled on 
Lot No. 28, of the 8th Concession. 

Ebenezer Pratt, with quite a family, located on 
Lot No. 35, of the 8th Concession. 

James Marshall, an American emigrant, took up 
100 acres of Lot No. 18, of the 8th Concession. Mr. 
Marshall had a family of seven sons and three 
daughters. Benjamin Soper settled on the same 
lot with Mr. Marshall. 

Philip Shook settled on Lot No. 17, of the 8th 
Concession. His family was composed of three 
sons and three daughters. 

Uriah Stone settled on Lot No. 15, of the 8th 
Concession ; he left two sons and two daughters. 

Timothy Soper and John Vaughn occupied Lot 
No. 16, in the 8th Concession ; Daniel Levingston 
settled on Lot 29, and Nicholas Haskins on Lot 30, 
of the same concession. 

Dr. Green, an American, took up Lot No. 26, of 
the 9th Concession, now owned by Richard Holmes, 
Esq. ; James and Benjamin Kilborn settled on Lot 
30 ; Jesse Knot occupied Lot 25 ; L. Ireland, Lot 
22 ; Benjamin Lyman, Lot 21 ; Edward Soper, Lot 
20 ; B. Lyman, Lot 19. 

John Arnold settled on Lot No. 25, of the loth 
Concession, Isaac Simpson occupying a part of the 
same lot. Isaac Lamb lived on Lot No. 24 ; David 
Houghton and another settler, Lots 27 and 30. 

David Levingston, who settled on Lot No. 26, of 
the 6th Concession, left four sons and five daughters. 
Benjamin Nichols drew Lot No. 24, and William 
Dunbar on Lot No. 27, of the 6th Concession. An 
Irish emigrant named Carpenter was a neighbor to 
Dunbar. 

WILLIAM JOHNSTON. 

The late Robert Johnston was born in Ireland, 
and came to Canada in 1822, settling on Lot 
No. 23, in the loth Concession of Kitley. Mr. John 
ston married Elizabeth Love, by whom he had the 
following children: William, Mary ; Eliza, who mar 
ried George Steen ; and Jonathan, who resides at 
Bell s Crossing. 

William Johnston was born November 8th, 1818, 
and in 1844 married Eliza Latimer, of Lansdowne. 
His family consists of the following children : Amelia 
married Robert Powell, of Rock Spring ; Margaret 
Ann ; Mary Elizabeth married George C. Howe, of 
Bradford, Pennsylvania, Mr. Howe being an exten- 
iive speculator in coal oil lands ; Anna, Ida, Henry, 
Lucy, Francis Albert and David Latimer. Mr. 
Johnston s farm consists of two hundred and eighty 
icres. 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



Several other Irish Emigrants occupied lots in the 
Seventh Concession. The first five Concessions \vcre 
not settled until a later period. 

William \V. Brown was born in 1775, in Nc\v 
Brunswick, from which Province he removed to 
Elizabethtown in 1808, locating in Kitleyin 1809, on 
Lot 22, of the 6th Concession. Mr. Brown died in 
I ^3i] aged fifty-six years. His wife was Betsy, 
daughter of Jonah Allan. Mr. Brown left eight sons 
and two daughters. Hezekiah, a son, was born in 
1806, and resides in the municipality. 

Abel Kilborn was born in 1776, emigrating from 
Vermont to Canada about 1795, settling in Bastard. 
He married Polly Smith, of Elizabethtown. Mr. 
Kilborn died in 1853, aged seventy-seven years, 
leaving eight children. Remington Kilborn, who 
was born in 1803, resides on a farm near the mills. 

Lorenzo Frayn was born in Wexford, Ireland, in 
1787, and setled in Kitley in 1817. He had a family 
of ten children, only two of whom reside in Kitley ; 
Henry occupies the homestead ; Saunders owns an 
adjacent farm. Lorenzo Frayn resides with his son 
Henry, and is in the 92nd year of his age, his wife 
being in her 82nd year. 

HIRAM McCREA. 

Colonel Hiram McCrea, was born, July 2nd, 1807, 
in Montague, his father, Edward McCrea, being a 
U. E. Loyalist, from the vicinity of Albany. Colonel 
McCrea removed to Kitley in 1837, and has always 
taken a deep interest in public affairs. He was first 
elected Reeve in 1858, a position which he has held 
ever since. In 1853, he was appointed a magistrate, 
and from the date of his appointment he has proved 
one of the most efficient Justices of the Peace in 
the United Counties. He was the first Clerk of the 
Court for the Seventh Division of Leeds, and con 
tinues to hold the office. For several years he 
served as Lieutenant-Colonel of the 5th Battalion 
of Leeds Militia, and, on the reorganization of the 
force in 1862, he was appointed a Lieutenant-Colonel 
of the force for North Leeds. In 1831, he married 
a daughter of the late E. Wyatt, of Kitley. by whom 
he had seven children. Colonel McCrea has always 
taken a prominent part in county matters, occupying 
the post of Warden several years. 

The first settler at Frankvillc was L. M. Sopcr, 
who drew the lot on which the village now stands. 
When he first located, he was compelled to carry in 
on his hack the potatoes required for seed. For 
many years it was customary to carry the grain to 
be ground to Marshall s Creek ; from that point it 
aken in canoes to Merrickvilic. 



The next settler in that vicinity was David Woods, 
who located on the lot now owned by Rainey 
Loucks. Mr. Soper and Mr. Woods cultivated the 
soil with a yoke of steers, which they owned in 
common. 

Timothy Soper came into the Township about 
five years after. He drew the land now occupied 
by Ezra Ireland. For a long time Mr. Soper acted 
as a general agent for the settlers, in bringing in 
supplies, doing the milling, etc. Upon one occasion 
he had taken a grist to Mcrrickville for Thomas 
Connor. Returning with it in the night, he left it 
beside the main road, at a point where the path 
leading to Mr. Connor s house diverged. Having 
a piece of chalk in his pocket, he wrote upon the 
sack : 

" Here I lie upon my back, 
My name it is an Irish sack ; 
Touch me not, upon your honor, 
For I belong to Tommy Connor." 

There are six churches in the municipality ; a 
C. M. Church, an M. E. Church and a Presbyterian 
Church at Toledo ; a Roman Catholic Church at 
Bellamy s Mill ; an Episcopal and C. M. Church at 
Frankville. 

A Township Hall, stone, was erected at Toledo in 
1856, at a cost of $2,000. 

The Municipal Officers for 1877, were as follows: 

Hiram McCrea, Reeve. 
N. H. Beecher, Deputy Reeve. 
Abraham Coad, Treasurer. 
Samuel Connor, Clerk. 
Samuel Hornick, Assessor. 
John Edgar, Assessor^ 

Joseph Coad, ".. illiam Davis, James Drummond, 
Councillors. 

The following is a summary of the assessment of 
the Township for 1877 : 

Number of persons assessed, 646. 

Number of acres assessed, 48,943. 

Number of acres cleared, 27,773. 

Value of real property, $533, 99. 

Value of taxable income, $1,000. 

Value of personal property, $60,450. 

Amount of real and personal property, $594,440. 

Taxes imposed by Municipality, $1,814. 

Taxes impose:! by Counties, $1,769, 

The following table contains a list of all the 
Patents granted by the Crown up to the jist of 
December, 1802 : 



n8 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



TOWNSHIP OF KITLEY. 



Lot. 


Name of Grantee. 


Part of Lot. 


S 

(J 

< 


Date of Patent. 


5-6 

7-8 
12-) 
11 

11 

\l\ 
9 

20 
21 

26 

28 

4 
6 

7 
9 
ii 

12 
13 
H 
17 

9 

20 
22 
24-25 
27 
29 

H 

7 
8 

10 

H 

12 

13 

I 5 -I6 

23 

24 
2f 
26 
28 

6 
7 
9 
ii 
ii 

12 
13 

4 

I7-I8 

19 
2O 

22 
24 25 

3 6 

12 

15-16 

18 
19 

23) 

24? 

251 

26) 

9 
II 

12 
H 

5 

20 

6 

8 
15 

22 
26 
30 

6 

7 




All 
All 

All 

All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
AH 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
AH 
AH 

All 
All 

S 1-2 

All 
All 
All 

All 

All 
All 
All 
All 

S 1-2 
Nl-2 

All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
Si-4 
All 
All 
All 

N 1-2 

AH 
All 
All 
All 

All 

All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 


20C 
20C 

100 
123 
IO 

100 

200 
200 
20O 
200 
200 
200 
200 
200 
200 
200 
2OO 
2OO 
400 
200 
2OO 

800 

200 
100 
2OO 
2OO 
4 00 

800 

2OO 
200 
2OO 
2OO 
100 
100 
2OO 
2OO 
200 
200 
200 
2OO 

50 
200 
400 
2OO 
OO 
2OO 
400 
2OO 


May I7th, 1802 
June loth, 1801 

June 30th, 1801 

Dec. 1st, 1802 
May I7th, 1802 
Dec. 1st, 1802 
fune 3oth, 1801 
June 3oth, 1801 
Sept. 4th, 1800 
[une 3oth, 1801 
[une 3oth, 1801 
May 1 7th, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 
May I7th, 1802 
June 3Oth, 1801 
May I7th, 1802 
Dec. 1st, 1802 
May 20th, 1801 
May I7(h, 1802 
April 3olh, 1799 
une 30th, 1801 
Tune 3oth, 1801 

Sept. 4th, 1800 

May 1 7th, 1802 
May I7th, 1807 
May I7th, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 
une 30th, 1801 

Jec. 1st, 1797 

June 3oth, 1801 
May I7th, 1802 
May 20th, 1 80 1 
May 171)1, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 
May I7th, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 
June loth, 1801 
May I7th, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 
May I7th, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 
Dec. ist, 1797 
July 8th, J 799 
May 1 7th, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 
April 3oth, 1799 
June 301]], 1801 
June 3Oth, 1801 

Dec. 1st, 1797 

Nov. 25th, 1802 
Aug. loth, 1801 
[une 30th, 180: 
[une loth, 1801 
Nov. 1 9th, 1802 
[une 3Oth, 1801 
May 1 7th, 1802 
June 3oth, 1801 
[une 3Oth, 1801 
May i/th, 1802 
May 171(1, 1802 
May 22nd, 1801 
Dec. 1st, 1802 
Tune 3Oth, 1801 
[une 3Oth, 1801 
Vov. 251!], 1802 




Alexander Campbell . , 
Margaret White 








Hazelton Spencer 












Hannah Ilagerman.. . . 
Catherine Clark . . . 
Alexander Campbell . . 


William Wooley 








Hazelton Spencer 


Hazelton Spencer 


William Waters 

Tabitha Livingston.... 
Mary Boulton 


tilth Closson 


Abila Pennock. 


-lazelton Spencer 
Hon. Wm. D. Powell 




ames E Campbell. . . 
Catherine Earner. . . 






Timothy Nettleton . . . 
Rachel Wiley 




John Blacker 


Robert McLean 


<ebecea McLean 




Hon. Wm. D. Powell 
Lewis Grant 












Hon. Wm. D. Powell 
Nelly Ferguson 


800 

2OO 
200 
00 
2OO 
2OO 
200 
200 
2OO 
2OO 
2OO 
00 
OO 
OO 
00 
00 
OO 


Chevalier Lorimier. ... 




Mary Cumming .... 
Polly Smith 


Alexander Livingston.. 


David Livingston 
Tacob Hewit, Sr . , . 


Abel Stevens, Sr 


Chloe Stevens 


William Read 
Hannah Kilburn . 


Hu<*h McPhee. .. 





TOWNSHIP OF KITLEY (Continued.} 



Lot. 



[2 

3 

14-15 

17 

22 
25 
27 
29 
30 



7 

8 
to 
II 

12 

3 

2 1 

4 

6 7 
9 

11-12 
13 

I7-I8 

19 
20 

a 

2 . , 



Name of Grantee. 



David McCready. . . 

Bemsley Buell 

Lois Buell 

Duncan Livingston. 
Joseph Blancher 
Ebenezer Pratt. 

William Read 

Benjamin Randall . . 
Nicholas Haskins. , . 

Maria Rose 

Margaret Russell. . . , 
Archibald McNeil... 
David Kilborn, Sr.. 
Elizabeth McNeil. . . 
Christina Hossock . . 
Benjamin Kilburn . . 

Mary Donavan 

Simeon Livingston . . 

Levi Soper 

Angus Grant, Jr. . . . 
Eleazer Fairchild . . . 

fohn McLean 

Wary Donavan 

I hebe McNey 

jOhn Gumming , 

Margaret Fero 

lannah Carley 

Solomon How 

:lenry French 

^sa Benjamin 



Part of Lot. 



All 

W 3 - 4 
All 
All 
All 
All 
AH 
AH 
All 
All 
All 

S 1-2 

N 1-2 

All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 



IV 



400 



4 00 



400 



Date of Patent. 



Aug. 
\I\K 
June 
May 
May 
July 
Tune 
May 
Aug. 
Nov. 
May 
Tune 
June 
Tune 
fune 



loth, 
loth, 
loth, 
lyth, 
I ?th, 
loth, 
3oth, 
1 7th, 
loth, 
25th, 

20th, 

3oth, 
30th, 
3oth, 



May 1 7th, 



May 
Aug. 
Dec. 



May 
May 
May 
[une 
April 
May 
May 
May 
\ug. 
May 



28th, 
2nd, 
251)1, 
I7th, 
1 7th, 
1 7th, 
3th, 
30th, 
I7th, 
171)1, 
1 7th, 
loth, 
1 7th, 



1801 
1801 
1801 
1802 
1802 
1801 
1801 
1802 
1801 
1802 
1801 
1801 
1801 
1801 
1801 
1802 
1802 
1801 
1802 
1802 
1802 
1802 
1802 
1801 

1799 
1802 
1802 
1802 
1801 
1802 



The Methodist Society at Toledo was organized 
at an early date. Services were held in the year 
1818, by the Venerable Ezra Healey, in a log school 
house standing on the place now owned by Mr. 
Alexander McClure. The first society only num 
bered four families : Duncan Livingston, Jonathan 
Lyman, Horace Tupper and Ephraim Koyl. The 
first church was built about forty years since by the 
late Alexander McLean and George Marshall, the 
latter gentleman being now in his 76th year. 

For several years the Presbyterians of Kitley as 
sembled for worship in a private house at New Bliss. 
The society was organized in 1843, through the 
efforts of the Rev. Joseph Anderson, of South Gower. 
The following elders were chosen : James Edgar, 
James Bell, Sr., John Boyd, Sr., David Kirk, John 
Hunter and Charles Ross. 

THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH, KITLEY. 

This church, is one of the oldest in the diocese, 
having been built nearly fifty years. It was erected 
when the Honorable and Right Reverend Doctor 
McDonnell was Bishop of Upper Canada. The 
early Irish settlers, who have always been ready to 
contribute generously for the support of the church, 
came forward and responded to the call, which was 
made, and provided the means required. In very 
early times it was attended by members of the 
church who resided in Prescott and Brockville. The 
Revd. Father O Reilly was the first priest who re 
sided in Kitley ; he was succeeded by the Revd 
Father O Connell (now of Richmond, Ottawa. 




o 

X 
w 


>-H 

en 

w 
ffi 

C/3 



w 



ffi 



o 

K 
D 

K 
o 



7- : : .,--.. ; "_-_- -.. 




HUNT S HOTEL, FRANKVTLLE. JAMES HUNT. 



1 : . 





j 



ir^ 







PlflHifli 




A 




RESIDENCE OF SAMUEL ED GAJR. TOLEDO. 







r FLAJSI 



- 




- > *^- 



y- S 






-. 




HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



119 



Diocese.) Next came the Revd. Father Lynch, 
now Parish Priest of Peterborough. The present 
incumbent is the Revd. Father Kielty, a native of 
Prescott. 

Since Father Kielty took charge of the parish he 
has been untiring in his efforts to improve the church, 
not only in a spiritual but also in a material manner. 
The original building was a substantial stone struc 
ture. During the past season Mr. James Gallena, of 
Brockville, was engaged to erect a massive tower, 
surmounted by a beautiful spire and cross, and well 
has he accomplished his task. The venerable church 
has thrown off the rust of years and taken a new 
lease of life. Admirably situated, it presents a neat 
and tasteful appearance and is deservedly admired. 
A beautiful marble slab, a present from the Merrick- 
ville Church, is inserted in the tower, and bears the 
inscription: " DEO VERO," (to the true God.) 

Among the manufacturing industries of the Town 
ship is a factory, established by B. F. Stewart, for 
building carriage wheels under the terms of a patent 
process of which Mr. Stewart is the inventor. 

JAMES HUNT. 

James Hunt is the son of Absalom, who married 
Maria Warren. James was born in 1850; he learned 
the carriage making business from his father, which 
he has conducted with success in Frankville and 
Toledo. Mr. Hunt married in 1872, Margaret, 
daughter of Richard Johnston, Elizabethtown. A 
few years since he purchased the residence of the 
late Captain Brennan ; it being destroyed by fire, he 
erected an elegant brick structure (shown in the 
illustration) for hotel purposes. He also continues 
the carriage business in Frankville. 

Till-: CONNOR FAMILY, 

AND 

SAMUEL CONNOR. 

William Connor came from the County of Caven, 
Ireland, in the year 1821, and settled on the 8th Con 
cession of Kitley, from which place he removed to 
the farm he now occupies, near the village of Frank 
ville. He married, about the year 1830, Ellen Horton, 
by whom he had the following children : Robert, 
residing in Brockville ; Samuel ; William, who died 
in 1850 ; Margaret married Alexander Morrison ; 
Philip died in 1877; Ann married Robert Jelly ; and 
Thomas. 

Samuel Connor was born in 1837, on the old home 
stead. At the age of sixteen he was apprenticed to 
Wellington Lewis, to learn the trade of shoemaker. 
After a service of three years, he removed to Frank 
ville ; then visited the Western States, but returned 
to Frankville, where he opened a shoe shop in 



connection with a tannery, and continued the same 
about twelve years. In 1870, he built a large hotel, 
engaging also in the manufacture of cheese. Dis 
posing of his hotel in 1876, he purchased the Robinson 
House, which he has refitted in the most substantial 
manner for the accommodation of his old friends. 

In 1864, Mr. Connor married Charlotte Burnett, 
of Elizabethtown ; and in 1868, he was appointed 
Township Clerk, a position which he yet fills. 

SAMUEL EDGAR. 

The subject of this sketch was born in the year 
1837, in the Township of Kitley. He is the youngest 
son of James Edgar, who was born in the year 1791, 
in the County of Down, Ireland, and emigrated to 
Canada in the year 1821, settling in the Township 
of Kitley in 1825, where he resided until his death 
on the 26th of January, 1870. He was among the 
first settlers of the Township, and one of the oldest 
Justices of the Peace. He was a member of the 
Municipal Council for eleven years, during which 
time he was four times returned a member of the 
Counties Council. Mr. Edgar held the office of 
Lieutenant in the Militia until too old for service, 
and was also one of the oldest Freemasons in the 
Counties, having obtained fifteen degrees in the 
Order. He was the only son of James Edgar, who 
was born in Montgomery, England. 

N. H. BEECHER. 

Mr. Beccher was born in the State of New York 
in 1839. When seventeen years of age he came to 
Canada, entering the employment of Robert Fitz- 
simmons, Esq., with whom he acquired a thorough 
knowledge of the grocery business. In 1863, he 
opened a general store in Toledo, where he has 
since resided. Taking a deep interest in public 
affairs, Mr. Beecher entered the Municipal Council, 
serving seven years, five of which he has been chosen 
as Deputy Reeve. His course in the Counties 
Council has been unvaryingly in the direction of 
economy and retrenchment, coupled with liberality 
in making grants for improvements absolutely re 
quired. At the last general election he was freely 
spoken of as the Liberal Candidate for the House of 
Commons, North Leeds. 

CHANCY BELLAMY. 

The subject of this sketch was born at Elbe 
(Dickens) in iSiS, He is the son of Chancy H. 
Bellamy, who was one of the early settlers of 
Yonge. In 1843, Mr. Bellamy married a daughter 
of James Bates, and in 1855 he purchased the 
property shown in illustration. Naturally of a 
sanguine disposition, his energy and perseverance 
have been the means of building up an extensive 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



business at the Kitley Mills. Mr. Bellamy is 
descended from United Empire Loyalist stock, 
his progenitors being the founders of North 
Augusta, and among the best business men of 
the United Counties. 
[For sketch of the Bellamy family sec another 
chapter.] 

V 




"* 
7 

8 
9 


TOWNSHIP OF BASTARD (Continued ) 


Lot 


Name of Grantee. 


Part of Lot. 


in 

g Date of Patent. 

-^ 


9 

22 
23 
23 

28 
2 9 

7-8 

10 
I2-I 

15 
18 

9 

21 
2 4 

2 5 
26 

29 
29 

4 
7 
9 
it 

12 

- 13 
H 
15 
I? 

18 

19 

20 
21 
22 

25 
27 

29 
I 

4 
6 

7 
8 

12 
13 
14 

6 
8 

9 
o 

23 

24 
29 

I 

2 

8 
9 

12 
13 

14 
15 
17 

18 

20 
22 

27 
29 
I 
2 

3 
4 

6 

7 
9 

10 

ii 

H 
16 
18 
19 

20 

20 


Ronald McGilles 


S 1-2 

All 

Ft 1-2 
S 1-2 
E 1-2 

All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
Ft 1-2 

S 1-2 

All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 

Ft 1-2 

All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 

All 2C 
All 20 
All 20 
All 20 
All 20 
E ("2 10 
All 20 
All 20 
Ft 1-2 10 

All 20 
All 20 
All 20 
All 20 
All 2CX 

All 2oc 

All 2CX 
All 2CX 
All 20C 

All 

All 2CX 
All 20C 
All 20C 
All 20C 
All 20C 
All 20C 
All 20C 
All 20C 
All 20C 
All 20C 
All 20C 
Ft 1-2 IOC 


loo June 231x1, 1809 
:oo May 2oth, iSoi 
loo April 71)1, 1820 
loo May igth, 1820 
100 June 2oth, 1820 
200 Aug. loth, 1801 
zoo Aug. loth, 1801 
.00 June 30th, 1801 
:oo June loth, 1801 
l-oo Aug. loth, 1801 
oo May I7th, 1802 
oo Nov. 28th, 1818 
oo May I7th, 1802 
oo May 171!], 1802 
oo June 3oth, 1801 
oo Aug. iot!i, 1801 
oo May 171)1, 1802 
oo April nth, 1820 
oo May 1 6th, 1820 
oojune 3oth, 1801 
oo Feb. 27th, 1808 
oo Jan. gth, 1805 
oo July 5th, 1809 
oo May 171!], 1802 
oo May 17111, 1802^ 
oo [une loth, 1801 
OC Feb. 29th 1812 
ac Aug. roth, iKoi 
X May 20th, 1801 
30 Mar. 1st, 1809 
X Mar. 191)1, 1807 
* May 1 7th, 1802 
x May 171!], i,So2 
x Aug. loth, 1801 
x Aug. loth, 1801 
x May 20th, 1801 
>c Aug. loth, 1801 
c April 71)1, 1820 
)C Feb. 41)1, 1809 
>c Dec. ipth, 1803 
x: Mar. I2th, 1811 
x: [une 301 h, iSoi 
ic June 30th, 1801 
10 May 17111, 1802 
c May I7th, 1802 
o Aug. loth, 1801 
< Feb. 7th, 1810 
c May 171)1, 1802 
c May 171)1, 1802 
c une 301(1, 1801 
April 3rd, 1817 
c June 30th, 1801 
c June 301)1, 1801 
c April nth, iiYao 
: Vug. 27th, 1810 
: Aug. loth, 1801 
: A|>ril I4th, 1820 
: uly 5th, 1820 
: May 171)1, 1802 
: Aug. 6th, 1819 
J [une 3oth, 1801 
3 Nov. 24th, 1815 
Mar. 6th, 1804 
: May 171!], 1802 
Aug. loth, 1801 
Sfov. 291!], 1815 
Vug. loth, iSoi 
: May 1 7th, 1802 
: May 171)1, 1802 
) May I7th, 1802 
N May 20th, 1801 
May 171)1, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 
Aug. 29th, 1810 
\ov. 1 7th, 1808 
May 171)1, 1802 
Aug. loth, 1801 
June loth, 1801 
May I7th, 1820 
June 301)1, 1801 
Nov. I2th, 1803 
May 171!], jSo2 
May 1 7th, 1802 
;April 3rd, 1817 


I oIIv Watson 


Xephania DcWitt. . . . 
fames .McNice. . 
William I itt. .. 


Isaac Lamb, Jr. . . . 
Archibald McLaren. . 
Robert Clark. . . . 


CHAPTER XXXI. 

BASTARD, 

THE following table contains a list of all the patents 
"or land granted by the Crown up to the ist of 
November, 1820: 


John Blacker. . . . 


Adiel Sherwood 
Kachael Wright . 


Esther Mott 


William Sly 


Edward Soner.. 


Mary Fish. . . 


Jiad.ima Haskins. . . 
Amy Stevens 


Thomas McCord. 


Matthew Gould. . 


Samuel McNish 


TOWNSHIP OF BASTARD. 


Daniel Stevens 


Henry Stevens 


;L O 

i . . 


Name of Grantee. 


Part of Lot. 


IT. 

U 

O 

< 


Date of Patent. 


Ellas Chamberlain. . . 

Linf Chipman 


Daniel Adams 


Caleb Seaman, Jr. ... 
Richard S. Adams. . . . 
iiethicr Brouth 


I 
3 

8 

8 

10 


Allan McDonnell .... 


All 
All 
AH 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
Al! 
All 
All 
AH 
All 

N 1-2 

S 1-2 

All 

All 

All 

N 1-2 

All 

El-2 

All 

S 1-2 
Nl-2 

All 
All 
All 
All 

Ft 1-2 

All 
All 

N 1-2 
E 1-2 

All 

All 
All 
All 

E 1-2 

All 
All 

N 1-2 

All 
All 
All 

N 1-2 

All 
All 
All 


12; 

IOC 
IOC 
IOC 
IOC 
2OC 
20C 

2OC 
I2(J 
JOC 
2OO 
2OC 
2OO 
100 
IOO 
2OO 
IOO 

IOC 

600 

00 
00 
IOO 
IOO 
200 
2OO 
2OO 
100 
IOO 
2OO 

OOC 

IOO 
IOC 

400 

400 

20C 
2OC 
IOC 
2OC 
200 
IOC 
2OC 
20C 
20C 
[CO 
!OC 
!OO 
!X) 


May 171)1, 1802 
April 3rd, 1817 
June loth, iSoi 
May 20lh, iSoi 
Nov. 251)1, 1802 
May 2otli, 1801 
May 20th, iSoi 
June 301!], 1801 
June loth, 1801 
Mar. 29th, 1806 
May 171)1, 1802 
Vug. loth, 1801 
Vug. loth, 1801 
May 171)1, 1802 
une jOtli, iSoi 
\ ov. 251!!, 1802 
May I7th, 1802 
Aug. loth, 1801 

une 301)1, 1801 

une 2Oth, 1820 
June 3oth, iSoi 

lay i 2th, 1820 
uly 8th, 1799 
May 171)1, 1X02 
May 171)1, 1802 
May 20lh, 1801 
Aug. loth, 1 80 1 
Aug. 171)1, 1802 
Aug. loth, 1801 
April loth, 1820 
June 301)1, 1801 

June 3o;h, i So i 

May 2Oth, 1820 
(inie 20tli, 1820 
[lily 8th, 1799 
July Stb, 1799 
luiu 301)1, 1801 
[uly 8th, 1799 
April 151!], 1820 
uly 8th, 1799 
May 2oth, 1801 
May 20th, 1801 
Vug. loth, 1801 
Vug. loth, 1801 
Vlay aoth, 1801 
une 1st, 1820 
May 20th, 1801 
May 2oth, 1801 
une 301)1, i Sol 


, , in i . 


Sarah Buck 


Amos Knapp 


I iinuthy W. < ioodh.il 
David Edmonds 
oxqih Edmonds 
|ohn Endicott 


Margaret Spencer. . . . 
Amos Knapp .... 


Charity Nettleton. . . 


23-2 
25-2 
28 
I 

2 

4 
6 

7 
7 
9 
I? 

18 ) 
9( 

20 ( 
22) 
23 
24) 

25 
*7} 

z8 
29 
I 

4 

6 

7 

10-11 

H 
IS 
18) 

19 

20) 

22 
22 
23-24 

25 26 

26 
28 

29 

I 
2 

3 
4 
6 

8 
9 
17 
18 


John Endicott 


Thomas SVerwood. . . 


oily Sipes 


William Read 


Thomas Wood 
William Johnson 
William Johnson 


form Coir. . . 


David Lee 

Rc:d;en \Vail 


Even Roys, Sr 


fazelton Spencer. . . 
Margaret Spencer. . . . 
Yederiea Meyers .... 
Wiliiam Read 

Basil Rorison 


Abel Stevens, Jr 
Lydia Stevens 


lehicl Smith 
ii Sheldon 
Richard Day. 


I iaskins 






Marian Stevens . . 


Peter Howard 






Alfred Stevens 


"homas Bright 


Solomon Jones 


Thomas McCord 
>aniel Phillips 


Allan Paterson 
Allan McDonnell 


ictty Stevers 


John Wilks 


"iney Sharpc 


Timothy Smith. . 


William Day 




\\ illiani Titus 


Villiam fohnson 


cremiah Day ....... 


ohm Minor 


S ancv Day. 




>cnnis Pmrgcs 


Stephen Howard 


larvey Mitchell.. . , 


ruman Hicoek . . . 


Villiam Read 
Vrchibald K. Farmim. 
loses Stevens 


Villiam Pitt. . 






^oger Stevens 




ehiel Mitchell 


Vllnn Paterson , , 


iarius Crippen 
Villiam Stevens 


oseph Afott 


^ewis Grant 
aniel Perry. . 


Villiam Livingston.. . . 
jioch Huntley 




1 v i 13 


m hn Stevens 


*; c j 1 011 


arah Stevens 


uth Lent 




eremiah I )ay 


All 20C 
All 20C 
All loc 

E 1-2 IOC 


... , , , 1 


Ubert Day 


oshua Williams 
anah Stevens 


encdict McCollum. . . 
iencdict MeCollum. . . 






1-2, OC 







- tv*+[ 
HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



121 



TOWNSHIP OF BASTARD (Continued.) 



IS 

: 

(J 


Lot. 


Name of Grantee. 


Part of Lot. 


c_> 

< 


Date of Patent. 


10 
k 


21 
22 

23 
2 4 

25 
29 
I 

6 

7 
8 

10 
11-12 
13 
17 
19-20 
22 
23 
24 
25 
29 




All 
All 

All 

S Pt 

All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
S Pt 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
NPt 


7 

200 
400 
100 

200 
2OO 
200 
200 
300 
2OO 

S 
200 
194 
2OO 
200 
200 
IOO 


May 1 7th, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 

June 30th, 1801 

Nov. 1 7th, 1808 
Nov. ist, 1820 
Aug. 20th, 1 808 
[une 3Oth, 1801 
May lyth, 1802 
May I7th, 1802 
June 3oth, 1801 
April 7th, 1817 
May 2oth, 1801 
April 3rd, 1817 
June 22nJ, 1812 
May 1 7th, 1802 
Dec. I4th, 1816 
May 20th, 1801 
Nov. i/th, 1808 


Abel Stevens, Sr 


James Henderson.. .. 


















\icholas Mattice 






David Henderson. . . . 
James Henderson 



\ 



The settlement of the Township of Bastard was 
entrusted to Elder Abel Stevens, by the Governor. 
For some time Elder Stevens met with almost in 
superable difficulties, doing the work of clearing 
with his own hands. When the task was assigned 
to him, he started from Little York on foot, without 
provisions, depending upon his gun for a supply of 
food. Arriving at Brockville, he took a rest and 
then proceeded to Wiltse-Town, in Yonge, where he 
established his headquarters with the late William 
Parish. Securing a supply of provisions and an axe, 
he started for the new township. Having the privi 
lege of taking any lot, he concluded, after making 
an examination, to settle in Plum Hollow, where he 
made the first clearing, but the original farm was 
soon after given to some of his old neighbors from 
Vermont. It is related of the Elder that upon 
several occasions, after his sons had made a small 
clearing, he caused them to make a gift of the place 
to parties who wished to locate. Plum Hollow soon 
became a small settlement, the nearest neighbors re 
siding in Wiltse-Town. After Benoni Wiltse built 
his mill in Yonge, Betsey Stevens, a girl of sixteen, 
took a bag of corn before her on ahorse and started 
for the mill, by a blazed path through the woods. 
She was compelled to wait until twelve o clock at 
night before the corn was ground, when she started 
back on her lonely ride ; ere she had proceeded far, 
a pack of wolves took up the trail and came on in 
hot pursuit, gnashing their teeth and making the 
forest hideous with their cries. The brave girl 
pressed forward, her horse on the gallop, though 
upon several occasions the wolves were so near at 
hand that she could see their eyes gleam in the 
darkness. It was a ride for life, but Betsey Stevens 
was a daughter worthy of a Canadian pioneer, and 
ere the clock chimed another hour, rode up to her 

father s door, not only safe herself but with the bag 
16 



of meal with which she had set out. The son of 
Elder Stevens (Abel) was with his father an elder of 
the Baptist Church. 

Among the early settlers of the Township were 
Arvin, Sheldon, Lyman and Ichabod Stoddard ; 
Ami and Barnabas Chipman ; Truman and Lyman 
Beach. 

The Township Clerk has in his possession an in 
teresting book of record, which dates back to 1800. 
At that time any settler who wished to do so, was 
permitted to write in the book facts bearing upon 
the public interest. Part of the work was devoted 
to family records, another portion being set apart 
for the registration of sheep marks. We give an 
example : 

" Arvin Stoddard, your mark is two slits in the 
right ear." 

At one time the Township annual meeting passed 
a resolution for the purpose of abolishing " horse 
racing" by making the penalty not less than one 
pound or more than fifteen 

TOWNSHIP COUNCIL FOR 1851. 

Philo Hicock, Thomas Rodgers, S. S. Scovil, 
Matthew Denny and Alexander Elliott. 

The following is a summary of the assessment of 
3astard and Burgess for the year 1877 : 

Number of persons assessed, 957. 

Number of acres assessed, 46,745. 

Number of acres cleared, 31,400. 

Value of real property, $806,775. 

Value of personal property, $40,065. 

Amount of real and personal property, $846,840. 

Taxes imposed by Municipality, $5,356. 

Taxes imposed by Counties, $2,144. 

Expenditure for roads and bridges, $291. 
Although the Township was originally settled by 
United Empire Loyalists, principally from Vermont 
and Connecticut, a large number of Irish Emigrants 
in a few years came in, taking possession principally 
of the northern and eastern parts of the Township. 
In 1837, a number of Mormon missionaries entered 
the municipality and held meetings, at which they 
secured a great many converts. The converts were 
drawn from two classes. First, U. E. Loyalists and 
their descendants, who had become disgusted with 
the government of the country. Second, ignorant 
and poor people who were led to believe that they 
would better their condition by becoming followers 
of Joe Smith. 

EARLY SETTLERS. 

Among the early settlers were : 

Elder Nichols (Baptist), settled near Beverly Lake, 

Beverly (Delta), named after John Beverly Robinson, 

who presented the English Church with a very fine 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



bell (still in use in the church.) Elder Nichols wai 
the father of Clark, Sheldon, Hiram and Davic 
Nichols. 

Barnabas Chipman settled on the farm now owned 
by Moses Stevens ; Barnabas was the father of 
Abner Chipman. 

Orin Lillie came from Vermont and settled on the 
side line, near the residence of the late Arvin 
Stoddard. 

James Lillie settled in South Crosby, near Elgin 
Ezra Lillie settled in Plum Hollow. 
Turner Lillie settled on the farm now owned by 
John Moran. Turner taught the first school in that 
section of the Township. He afterwards removed 
to the vicinity of Lyn, where he died. 

Clark Nichols settled on the farm now owned by 
Henry Abel, from which place he removed to South 
Elmsley. 

The father of the late Lyman Abel, came from 
Connecticut and settled in Plum Hollow. 

Arvin Stoddard and one of his brothers walked 
most of the journey from Connecticut and settled at 
Arvin s residence. 

Thomas Knowlton, the progenitor of the Knowlton 
family in the municipality, settled near the middle 
of the town. 

Adam Shook, a very early settler, it is said had 
the choice of nearly the entire Township. He chose 
the farm now occupied by his descendant, Torrence 
Shook. 

The Chapin s family settled in Plum Hollow. 
9 Old Doctor Schofield, as he was familiarly known, 
located on the lot recently owned by the late James 
Denny. 

Jeremiah Day was one of the first settlers, and 
from Mr. Day the settlement received its name 
"Daytown." Samuel Day, a son of Jeremiah, is a 
Baptist Missionary in Burmah. 

At an early date, Matthew Howard, a surveyor and 
afterwards member of parliament for Leeds, was en 
gaged in surveying the Township, where he became 
acquainted with a daughter of Clark Nichols. The 
lady was very young, but Mr. Howard was deter 
mined to jnake her his wife, which he did subse 
quently. 

Nicholas Bresee, a blacksmith, settled on the farm 
now owned by James Barlow. Mr. Bresee was one 
of the first magistrates in Bastard. 

Peter Bresee located on the Hiram Davidson farm, 
kept a store and engaged in the lumbering business 
extensively. 

Dr. Breakenridge resided on the present Bowser 
farm ; the Doctor married an adopted daughter of 
Squire Breakenridge, by the name of Day. Dudley 



Breakenridge, a son, carried on the mercantile busi 
ness at Beverly. 

Benedict McCollum settled on the farm now occu 
pied by Alexander Elliott ; he married a daughter 
of Thomas Knowlton. 

Seth Witherel settled in Plum Hollow, near Ezra 
Lillie. |4r Hi*** 

Ami Chipman settled on the Copeland farm, near 
the middle of the town. Among the sons of Ami 
were Hef man, Truman and Levi. 

Elijah Chamberlain lived on the farm now occu 
pied by Leonard ^Chamberlain. He had sons, Eli, 
Parley and Leonard, also four daughters ; two of 
the daughters, Martha and Betsey, married N. 
Byington. 

Old Mr. Alford located where Hiram Alford now 
resides. He had sons, Hiram and Eli ; a daughter 
Nancy married Daniel Day. 

The father of Silas Smith settled near the McCol- 
lum s. Silas kept the first store at Smith s Mills, 
Harlem. Mr. Smith removed to the United States, 
and entered the ministry. 

Timothy Smith erected and owned the mills at 
Smith s Mills. 

Old Mr. Lindsay settled near where Edward Sher 
wood lives, on the margin of Rideau Lake. Reuben 
Sherwood, the surveyor, lived on the same farm ; 
Reuben also purchased the mills built in Burgess 
by Sheldon Stoddard. 

Nathan Gilpen and Ichabod Stoddard settled on 
the farm now owned by William Barber. 

Uri Scovil, grandfather of S. S. Scovil, of Portland, 
settled in Lansdowne Rear, on the Randolph place. 
George Scovil, son of Uri, was for many years a 
school teacher. He married Hannah Knowlton, 
daughter of Thomas Knowlton ; both survive, and 
reside near Toledo. Young Elder Stevens also 
married a daughter of Thomas Knowlton. 

Jeremiah Sheldon resided on the farm occupied 
by Eleizer Sheldon. Among his sons were Horace, 
Francis, and Richard. 

An old gentleman by the name of Beech resided 
on the farm afterwards owned by S. J. Southworth. 
Mr. Beech raised a large family ; among his sons 
were Lyman, Truman, Harmon, Sheldon, and Philo, 
also a daughter, Polly. The family removed to 
Indiana, where all the members acquired large 
properties. Mr. Beach at the time of his death 
was nearly 100 years of age. Truman and Lyman 
Beach settled the Forrester farm, two miles east of 
Westport, the clearing being one of the first in 
North Crosby. 

Dr. Lyman Stoddard settled on the Gallagher 
arm. Dr. Stoddard left Canada with the Mormons. 
\athanicl Stoddard settled at Tophy s Mill, Burgess. 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



123 



Samuel Seaman settled in Daytown ; he had 
two sons, Stephen and Murray. Murray married a 
daughter of Otis Smith, one of the original settlers 
of the Rear of Yonge. Martha, a daughter of 
Samuel Seaman, married Arvin Stoddard ; Rhoda, 
another daughter, married William Doak, a half- 
brother to Sir Daniel Jones ; and Polly married 
Williston Stevens, son of Elder Stevens, the younger. 

ELIJAH BOWSER. 

The subject of this sketch resides on Lot No. 17, 
8th Concession of Bastard, nis farm consisting of 
200 acres. His parents came from Yorkshire, Eng 
land, in 1829, first settling at Maitland, removing to 
Yonge in 1831. The present farm was secured in 
1842. Mr. John Bowser died in 1859, aged 69 years, 
but his widow is still living, being in her 85th year. 
Elijah Bowser was born in 1823, and, in 1850, mar 
ried a daughter of the late John Purvis, of the 
Township of Yonge, who has borne him six children. 
Mr. Bowser retains thirty-five acres of land in Yonge, 
the balance of his real estate being located in Bas 
tard. He has always been regarded as one of the 
most prosperous farmers in the Township. Names 
of children : John ; Mary Emily, married William 
Hanna, teacher in the High School at Lanark ; 
Jennie, Lydia Kesiah, Sarah Elma, and Henry 
Edward. 

John Waddington, grandfather of Mr. Bowser on 
his mother s side, emigrated from Yorkshire, Eng 
land, and settled in Yonge, where he died ; he was 
buried at Lyn. The grandfather of Mrs. Bowser 
on her mother s side was Major Smith, one of the 
first settlers of Merrickville, and afterwards of 
Elizabethtown. 

Among the oldest citizens of the Township is 
William Wiltse, son of Benoni Wiltse, the first 
settler of Yonge. Mr. Wiltse is yet a hale and 
hearty old gentleman a surviving pioneer of the 
days of long ago. 

JAMES BARLOW. 

Mr. James Barlow emigrated from Yorkshire, 
England in 1828, first settling in Watertown, New 
York, removing thence to the Township of Bastard 
in 1841, locating on Lot No. 18, in the 8th Conces 
sion. His farm now includes 400 acres. In 1830, 
Mr. Barlow married, and has four children living, 
his oldest son James residing on a farm in the 
vicinity of the homestead. Another son, Robert, 
has for many years been the Deputy-Reeve of the 
Township of Elizabethtown. Mr. Barlow is 75 years 
of age, yet hale and hearty. His record is that of 
an esteemed and highly respected citizen. 



PHILO HICOCK. 

Mr. Hicock was born in the Rear of Lansdowne 
in 1808. His father, Nathan Hicock, came from 
Connecticut in the year 1800, being one of the first 
and most influential settlers of Lansdowne. Philo 
Hicock resides on Lot No. 21, in the 9th Concession 
of Bastard. Mr. Hicock established a foundry in 
Beverly (Delta) in 1841, disposing of his interest in 
1874 to his son Albert E., by whom the establishment 
is at present conducted. Mr. Hicock was married in 
1835 to a daughter of the late Ralph Hindmarsh, 
of Morristown, New York, who has borne him ten 
children, six of whom survive. His father, Nathan, 
was an ensign in the British army in 1812, partici 
pating in the battle at Ogdensburg and the skirmish 
at Gananoque. He was also a commissary, and 
assisted in the erection of the towei on Point 
Henry, near Kingston. Mr. Philo Hicock was 
Reeve of the Township of Bastard for ten years, 
between 1850 and 1872. The foundry was first 
established by Nathan S. Soper in 1822. 

THE CHIPMAN FAMILY. 

fVnrr brothers, A^os, jj&se, Arn.i and Barnabas 
Chipman came to Canada from Vermont. Amos 
and Jesse were in the American Army during the re 
volution. Ami and Barnabas came to the vicinity 
of Brockville in 1795, and remained there one year, 
when they removed to Bastard. Ami took up Lot 
No. 13, in the 6th Concession. Barnabas settled in 
Plum Hollow. Ami was born in 1764, and died in 
Bastard in 1808. He married Sarah Evarts, who 
died in 1828. Ami left, s^ven children : Heman, 
born in 1786; Isaac, 1788; Harry, 1790; Olive, 
1792 ; Truman, 1794 ; Laura, 1796 ; Levi, 1798 ; 
but two survive, Harry who resides with his daughter, 
Mrs. George Brown, of Easton s Corners, and Laura, 
residing in Momence, Illinois, with the children of 
her brother Isaac. 

Harry Chipman married three times ; his second 
wife, Lucy Lillie, bore him two children, who lived 
to maturity. 

Lewis Chipman, son of Harry, was born March 
I7th, 1820 ; his sister, Julia Ann, wife of George 
Brown, was born in 1822. Lewis married in 1854, 
Abigail Jane, daughter of the late Jesse Delong. She 
has borne him two children : WUljs, hprn in 1855. 
graduated at the University of McGill College in 
May 1876. He is now Mathematical Master of the 
Napanee High School ; Elma, a daughter, was born 
in 1859. Lewis Chipman was Superintendent of 
Public Schools in Bastard from 1851 J&tff ; and 
also Township Clerk for twenty years. 



I 















124 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 




M. E. CHURCH, PHILLIPSVILLE. 
The Methodist Episcopal Church of Phillipsville 
is an elegant stone structure (52x34 feet), and has a 
tower and spire 97 feet in height. It was completed 
in 1874, by William Willoughby, of Almonte ; N. 
Leonard having charge of the carpenter work. The 
site is on Main Street (part of Lot No. 24, in the 6th 
Concession of Bastard), the total cost of the church 
being $6,000. The auditorium is carpeted, and 
contains 450 sittings. The charge includes the 
congregations at Phillipsville, Elgin, Portland, and 
California, the total membership being 270, of whom 
no belong to the Society at Phillipsville. The Rev. 
G. S. White, D. D., of Elgin, is now pastor of the 
charge. 

CENTRAL HOTEL, DELTA. 

Mr. Anthony Flood, proprietor of the Central 
Hotel, Delta, wab born in Portland, Township of 
Bastard, in 1844, He married, and has been 
engaged in the hotel business five years, occupying 
the Central during the past year. The house is well 
fitted up for the convenience of guests, and is a 
favorite resort for sportsmen who visit Beverly Lake 
in the hunting and fishing season. The duck hunt 
ing on the upper lake cannot be surpassed in Central 
Canada, while the lower lake offers many inducements 
to the angler. 

LIFE AMONG THE MORMO-NS. 

The first settler at Portland was Heman Chipman ; 
at first his nearest neighbor was four miles distant. 
His family consisted of Ami, Nathaniel, Harman, 
Ezra, Martin, George, Amanda and Flora. 

The eldest son. Ami, cut the first stick of timber 
on the site of the present Village of Portland. 

Amanda married William B. Seaman, who left 
Canada with the Mormons. 

Flora married a man named Weston, who also de 
parted with the Mormons. 

In January, 1837, Ami Chipman, with his wife and 
two children, his mother, Truman Beach, Lyman 
Beach, Truman Stoddard, Lyman Stoddard, William 
B. Seaman, Stephen Chipman, and others, left the 
Township of Bastard and crossed the St. Lawrence 
at Cole s Ferry en route for the Mormon El Dorado, 
in the far west. Ami Chipman and his family pro 
ceeded up the lakes to Cleveland, where they met 
the remainder of the party, who had proceeded over 
land, driving the cattle. At Kirkland, Chipman 
hired a team with Hyde (the man who was executed 
a short time since), and, in company with Heber C. 
Kimball, Erastus C. Snow and other prominent Mor 
mons, started across the country for the Ohio river, 
which, when reached, they took a steamboat for St. 



Louis. From that city they proceeded up the 
Missouri river some four hundred miles, landing at 
Richmond and going back to Cohvell County, and 
from thence to Fairwest, where they saw Brigham 
Young, at that time a bushwacker in every sense of 
the term. Proceeding to Grand River, they found 
the Mormons encamped in considerable numbers 
and determined to build a city to be called Adam-on- 
tli-a-mon. After remaining three weeks at this 
point, Ami Chipman and a friend named William 
Dickson determined to abandon Mormon life and 
return home. They set out and reached Quincey, 
where they met a large number of Mormons, and 
among the number, several old friends and neigh 
bors, by whom they were induced to turn back to 
the Missouri River, to a place called DeWitt. At 
DeWitt the Mormons were surrounded by a mob and 
threatened with extermination. The Mormons num 
bered about two hundred men, women and children. 
Skirmishing was kept up for some time, until_a 
steamboat arrived, by which a message was des 
patched to the Governor of the State, asking for pro 
tection. The Governor, whose name was Boggs, 
paid no attention to the message but sent word to 
the mob " to kill every Mormon." In the interval 
the Mormons at Fairwest came to the rescue of their 
brethren and raised the seige and escorted them to 
Fairwest. Chipman, and his friends from Bastard, 
camped out in the woods, about two miles from the 
Mormon headquarters. The Governor of the State 
called out the militia, about two thousand strong, 
and pursued the Mormons, many of whom were 
taken prisoners, including Chipman and his friends. 
At night they encamped, a small fire was built, 
around which was placed a guard of militia with 
orders to fire upon any captive who attempted to 
make his escape. Chipman and the other members 
of the party were without anything to eat during 
the entire day, but during the night were given 
some flour and salt, which they mixed with water on 
the end-board of a wagon, baking the mixture in the 
coals. The prisoners were retained in custody for 
two days and two nights. A compromise was 
effected by which it was agreed that the heads of the 
Mormon Church should surrender themselves as hos 
tages, the remainder of the Mormons to be set free. 
Accordingly, Brigham Young, Lee, Lyman White, 
Lyman P. Pratt, Austin Pratt, and others, sur 
rendered and were incarcerated in Clay County 
Gaol ; subsequently they were tried and acquitted. 
They then proceeded to found the City of Nauvoo, 
Stephen Byington turning the first sod. Mr. Chip 
man longed to return to Canada, but at that time 
all new comers were closely watched and were not 
permitted to leave the Mormon camp. Chipman 




METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, PHILLIPSVILLE. 






fr.mger. LiikWontrwi. 
RESIDENCE AND FOUNDRY OF PHILO. HICOCK, DELTA. 




RESIDENCE OF 3. A. SHAVER, NEWBORO. 






HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



125 









\ 



built a log canoe and with his little family departed 
one night down the Missouri River, for St. Louis, a 
distance of three hundred and fifty miles, which 
place he reached in safety. From that point he pro 
ceeded to his old home at Portland, having been 
absent one year, during which time he had travelled 
several thousand miles. It is but justice to the 
Mormon emigrants to state that at that time 
polygamy had not been adopted as a part of the 
creed of the Latter Day Saints. 

The following account is given as to the peculiar 
name which the Township received. Some time 
after the settlement commenced a notice was 
received from the Government that it was neces 
sary to give the municipality a name. Elder 
Stevens, Sr., was appointed a delegate to proceed 
to Toronto and suggest a name, the understanding 
being that it would be Stevenstown. When the 
Elder arrived at the Crown Lands Office, the clerks 
were busily engaged in naming townships, following, 
as a rule, the suggestions of the surveyors, or of 
interested parties. Coming to Bastard, there was a 
pause and a slight discussion. Elder Stevens was 
appealed to, and from modesty hesitated in giving 
Stevenstown, saying " that he did not know what to 
call it ;" when one of the clerks remarked that, "as 
it has no father, it must be a bastard township." 
The result was that it was set down on the map as 
Bastard. 

We do not vouch for the truth of the story, but 

have related it as received from an old settler. 

Among the active business men of the northern 
portion of the Township is S. S. Scovil, a gentleman 
who for a great number of years has represented the 
municipality in the Counties Council. 



CHAPTER XXXII. 

NEWBORO . 

WHEN the construction of the Rideau Canal com 
menced, it was found necessary to cut a canal 
through a narrow neck of land known as the 
Isthmus, which separated the waters of the Rideau 
from Mud Lake. The work was a rock cutting of 
considerable magnitude, and its execution brought 
together a large number of laborers, and eventually 
gave rise to the present village. The Isthmus is the 
height of land on the Rideau Canal, the water from 
that point descending to Kingston in one direction, 
and to Ottawa in the other. 

In 1876, the village had grown to such a size that 
it was considered expedient to create a new muni 
cipality. By a specialAct of the Local Legislature 



it was incorporated, Wesley Preston becoming the 

V 

first Reeve. 

The following is a summary of the assessment for 

the the year 1877 : 

Number of persons assessed, 114. 

Number of acres assessed, 802. 

Number of acres cleared, 650. 

Value of real property, $59,030, 

Value of taxable income, $400. 

Value of personal property, $5,350. 

Amount of real and personal property, $64,830. 

Taxes imposed by Municipality, $367. 

Taxes imposed by Counties, 108. 

The first house was built by David Stevens. Mr. 
Denny, father of the late James Denny, of Bastard, 
kept the first store. Colonel Kilborn erected the 
mills owned by the late John Chaffey ; about two 
years after, Benjamin Tett built the mills now 
owned by his sons. 

R. H. PRESTON, M. D., M. P P. 

The subject of this sketch is the second son of the 
late Anthony Preston, who emigrated from the 
County of Mayo, Ireland, to Canada in 1823, settling 
in New Boyne, Township of Bastard. His mother 
was Margery, daughter of the late John Layng, 
of Bastard. Dr. Preston was born . in 1840, 
and obtained his educational training at the 
Public Schools, the High School at Smith s Falls, 
and the University of Michigan. In 1860, he 
commenced the study of his profession, gradu 
ating in 1864, receiving the degree of M. D. 
from the University of Queen s College, Kingston. 
In the same year he settled in Newboro , where he 
has since resided. In 1867, he was appointed an 
Associate Coroner of the United Counties of Leeds 
and Grenville. In 1868, he married a daughter of 
the late Benjamin Tett. At the last general election 
for the Legislative Assembly, he was selected as a 
candidate by the Liberal Conservative party for 
South Leeds, and elected. As a member of the 
House he has given the Opposition a cordial 

support. 

J. A. SHAVER. 

Daniel Shaver was born in Matilda, in March, 
1807. In 1829, he "married Margaret, daughter of 
Peter Dilabough, and in a few years removed to the 
Township of Winchester, from thence to Finch, and 
finally returned to Matilda. He died in 1874, leaving 
a family of six sons and four daughters. 

J. A. Shaver, second son of Daniel Shaver, was 
born M.iy ^8th, 1833, in Matilda. He married, 
May 2 9 th, 1855, Mary, daughter of the late Edward 
Morin, of South Gower. In 1855, Mr. Shaver 
removed to Newboro , where he commenced the 
carriage business, with a very limited capital. His 



126 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



business rapidly increased, and at the present time 
his factory turns out a large quantity of superior 
work, which is eagerly sought for. Mr. Shaver won 
his success by hard work and fair dealing. His 
family consists of two children : Adeline L., born 
November 8th, 1857, and John Wellington, born 
April i5th, 1850. 

JAMES HAZELTON. 

James Hazelton is the son of Hamersley Hazelton, 
who came to Delta in 1832. from Kingston, where 
he served his apprenticeship as a chairmaker. Mr. 
Hazelton, the elder, had three sons William, James 
and John. William is in Kansas, John and James 
residing in Newboro . 

James Hazelton was born November syth, 1845, 
at Morton ; he married, in 1875, Sarah Jane, daugh 
ter of Michael Dunn, of South Crosby. He com 
menced the furniture business in Delta in 1867, but 
removed to Newboro in 1871, where he built the 
premises now occupied by Mr. Gallagher. Subse 
quently he erected the present factory, engine room, 
and commodious warehouse, two and a-half stories 
high. In 1876, he erected a residence, and supplied 
his factory with steam power. Mr. Hazelton carries 
on the largest furniture business in the rear of Leeds 
County, having established an excellent reputation 
for the goods manufactured by him. He has also 
a hearse which cost $400 in connection with the 
undertaking department. 



CHAPTER XXXIII. 
GANANOQUE. 

COLONEL JOEL STONE was born at Gilford, Connec- 
necticut, August I7th, 1749, and died at Gananoque, 
November zoth, 1833. Colonel Stone was a United 
Empire Loyalist, and in consequence of his loyalty 
to the King, was particularly obnoxious to the 
Continental authorities, who threw him into prison, 
from which he made his escape to an English vessel. 
Proceeding to England, he was granted large tracts 
of land in Canada. Arriving in this country, and 
passing up the St. Lawrence, he was favorably im 
pressed with the value of the water privilege at 
Gananoque. About the same time, Sir John John 
ston made a similar application to the Government. 
Both men were devoted Loyalists, consequently a 
large grant of land was made to each, Colonel 
Stone s portion being located on the west side of 
the Gananoque River, and Sir John Johnston s 
grant on the east side, the boundary line being the 
centre of the river, thus dividing the water power 
equally. 



Sir John Johnston did nothing to improve his 
grant, ^and in course of time the property passed 
into the hands of Mrs. Bowes, from whom it was 
purchased by Charles and John McDonald. For 
some time Sir John Johnston was represented by an 
agent named Thomas F. Hovvland. A small mill 
was built on the east side of the river, but it never 
did much business. 

Colonel Stone married Abigail Coyswell, who was 
born at Preston, Connecticut, August i3th, 1750, 
and died at Gananoque, August 4th, 1843, aged 93 
years. Colonel Stone at the time of his death had 
reached the ripe age of 84 years 3 months and 3 
days. 

For some time Colonel Stone did not do much 
towards improving his property, but finally leased 
the water power to Charles McDonald, his son-in- 
law, who carried en an extensive business, active 
operation commencing about the year 1812. 

Charles McDonald built a saw mill and a small 
grist mill, and engaged in the lumber trade, shipping 
large quantities to Quebec, and also supplying the 
Government at Kingston for ship building purposes, 
several war vessels being on the stocks at that time. 
In 1817, Charles McDonald was joined by his brother 
John, and about ten years after by another brother, 
Collin. 

In 1826, the firm of C. & J. McDonald & Brother 
erected the largest^flouring mill in the Province (now 
known as the Globe Works.) The grain to supply 
the mill came from the West in schooners, which at 
that time were able to ascend the river to the mill. 
The capacity of the mill was 250 bbls. per diem, and 
for many years after its erection, the mill supplied 
about one quarter of all the flour received at the 
Port of Montreal. The flour was loaded in batteaux 
and Durham boats, a batteau carrying from 150 to 
250 bbls., and a Durham boat about 450 bbls. On 
the opening of the Rideau Canal, the capacity 
of a Durham boat was increased to 800 bbls. 
The forwarding business was placed exclusively 
in the hands of the firm of H. & S. Jones. In 
addition to the flour trade, the McDonald Brothers 
conducted lumbering upon an extensive scale, deal 
ing principally in white pine, oak, elm and birch, 
which came down the Gananoque river from the in 
terior. 

The father of the late Captain Crysler brought 
down, at one time, a large number of spars and 
masts, cut in the vicinity of Jones Falls. 

The block houses built at Gananoque and on 
Chimney Island were erected by Charles McDonald, 
for the government. 




. 

RESIDENCE, OF JOHN KILBORN, NEWBORO . 




FURNITURE FACTORY &. UNDERTAKING ESTABLISHMENT OF 

JAMES HAZELTON, NEWBORO . 




w 
ID 



o 

u, 

o 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



127 



The first church was put up by the McDonald s, 
and was free for all denominations ; it was built 
about 1832. Four or five years later the Methodists 
erected a wooden building on the site of the present 
church. 

The first school house stood near the first church. 
One of the first teachers was John S. McDonald, 
subsequently a Provincial Land Surveyor. 

The first resident minister was the Rev. William 
Carson, also a school teacher. 

The first Presbyterian minister was a young man 
and a graduate of a Scottish University. The first 
Sunday after his arrival he attended services held by 
a Local Methodist minister, who, during the sermon, 
made an assertion and to clench the argument ex 
claimed, "that s so, isn t it bub," at the same time 
slapping the Presbyterian minister on the back. 
What the young emigrant thought of the Canadian 
style of preaching can be better imagined than dis- 
cribed. 

The Methodists furnished the first regular services 
in Gananoque. 

Originally, there was a rapid where the upper dam 
is located and a considerable fall existed on the site 
of the lower dam. 

Among the first settlers of the village was Ephraim 
Webster, who was afterwards Collector of Customs 
at Brockville ; at one time he carried on a small 
store in Gananoque. 

In 1812, Charles McDonald opened a store. 

In the vicinity of the village, the Webster s, John 
ston s, Landon s and McNield s settled. 

THE MCDONALD FAMILY. 

John McDonald emigrated from Scotland and 
settled in Athol County, New York. He had 
five daughters and five sons ; three of the sons 
came to Canada, viz : Charles, John and Collins. 
Charles married Mary Stone ; John married 
Henrietta Mallory, a grand daughter of Colonel 
Stone s second wife. Collin never married ; he re 
moved to Cleveland, Ohio, and from there to Cuba, 
where he died. 

Catherine married Charles McEwan, father of 
Sheriff McEwan, of Windsor. 

Charlotte married Joshua Legge, Sen. 

Charles McDonald left three surviving children : 
William Stone, a resident of Gananoque ; John 
Lewis, who died at Belleville ; Charles Joel, who 
visited China and South America, dying in New 
York. 






THE HONORABLE JOHN MCDONALD. 

This gentleman was born at or near Saratoga, in 
the State of New York, United States, in the month 
of February, 1787, within a short time after the ar 



rival from Scotland of his father and mother, who 
had formerly resided at Blair Athol, in Perthshire. 
At an early age, Mr. McDonald went to reside at 
Troy, New York, where he subsequently was en 
gaged in commercial business. He came to Canada 
in 1817, and associated himself in business with his 
brother Charles, who had preceded him, and had 
settled at Gananoque. The firm of C. & J. McDonald 
& Co., carried on extensive operations in lumber and 
grain. About 1831, Mr. McDonald married Miss 
Henrietta M. Mallory, whose grandmother was the 
second wife of Colonel Joel Stone, who is generally 
considered to have been the founder of Gananoque. 
Subsequently, Mr. McDonald was called to the 
Legislative "Council of Upper Canada, and at the 
union in 1840-41, was appointed a Legislative Coun 
cillor for the Province of Canada, which position he 
subsequently forfeited by non-attendance at parlia 
ment after the removal of the seat of government 
from Kingston. Mr. McDonald was at one time a 
supporter of the late Honorable Jonas Jones, but in 
his latter years was a Reformer, although never an 
extreme one. He was an elder in the Presbyterian 
Church at Gananoque. Full of years and full of 
honors, esteemed and regretted by all, he died at 
Gananoque in the 74th year of his age, in September 
1860. 

The following document, from the papers of the 
late Colonel Stone, is given as illustrating the 
powers and duties of the Land Board : 

EXECUTIVE COUNCIL CHAMBER, 
March 131!), 1819. 

Present : His Excellency -Sir Peregrine Maitland, K. C. B., 
Lieutenant-Governor, in Council. 

M hercas great inconvenience accrues to emigrants desirous to 
become settlers in this Province from the necessity of presenting 
themselves at York before they can obtain a location on the waste 
lands of the Crown : 

For remedy thereof, His Excellency the Lieutenant-Governor, 
by and with the advice and consent of the Executive Council, is 
pleased to appoint in each of the Districts certain persons to form 
a Board, with power to locate any emigrant or other person desirous 
of becoming a settler in the respective District, on a lot of 100 acres 
within the same, under such limitations, restrictions, and rules as 
from time to time may be made for the government of said Boards 
by any Order in Council. 

The Land Board in the Johnstown District is to consist of 

Solomon Jones, Esq., Chairman. 

Joel Stone, Esq., Charles Jones, Esq., Adiel Sheiwood, Esq., 
and Dr. E. Hubble. 

RULES AND REGULATIONS. 

The Boards will assemble one day at least in each week, of which 
public notice shall be given in the District. 

They shall examine every applicant, and minute his place of 
birth, age, and time of coming into the Province ; and shall receive 
and minute a declaration that he has not before received any land 
from the Crown within it. 






//v 






128 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 






Whereupon, being satisfied as to his character and the propriety 
of admitting him to become a settler, the Board shall administer to 
him the oath of allegiance, and deliver to him a certificate to that 
effect, signed by two members at least ; and, having entered his 
name in the Township plan, shall, at the foot of the said certificate 
assign to such settler the said lot, and deliver the certificate with 
such assignment in order that upon the production thereof, with proof 
of having performed the settlement duties, he may receive a patent 
grant of the land. 

To which purpose, the Surveyor-General shall furnish the Boards 
with plans of each Township, showing the lots therein located. 

After the deposit of such plans with the Board, no location to be 
made thereon by the Surveyor-General until he shall have received, 
on special reference, a certificate from the Board that no settler is 
located thereon. 

In case of any apparent occupation or improvement made on a 
lot vacant on the plan, no location to be made thereon without 
further order from the Surveyor-General. 

The Land Boards may appoint a Clerk to preserve a minute of 
their proceedings, and countersign their certificates, upon delivery 
of which he may receive from the applicant the sum of seven 
shillings and sixpence. 

At an early date, John Howard, son of James B. 
Howard, built a mill at Marble Rock. 

William S. Macdonald, Esq., informs us that the 
first steamer which went below Prescott had a 
paddle-wheel in the stern, and was built by Dickin 
son & Co., proprietors at that time of the stage line 
from Montreal to Prescott. The steamer ran down 
the river to Dickinson s Landing. The steamer 
William IV. was built at Gananoque by a joint 
stock company, in 1831. 

The first line of stages from Montreal to Ontario 
was established by Dickinson & Norton. During 
the summer they ran to Prescott, and in winter to 
Kingston. Hiram Norton, one of the proprietors, 
resided in Prescott ; he afterwards removed to 
Illinois, where he acquired a large fortune. 

The first steamer that ran down the river from 
the lake was the Charlotte, built by the late Captain 
Gildersleeve ; her trips were from the Bay of Quinte 
to Prescott. 

John S. McDonald, a surveyor (not a relative of 
the McDonald brothers), died at Gananoque, July 
I4th, 1837. His widow married a surveyor named 
Booth. His eldest daughter married Richard 
Coleman. 

THE LEGGE FAMILY. 

Joshua Legge, Sr., came to Canada in 1819. He 
was born at Parnell, Berkshire County, Massachu 
setts, October i6th, 1799. In 1822, he married 
Charlotte McDonald, sister of Charles McDonald. 
Mrs. Legge was born May igth, 1791, She came to 
Canada in 1810 ; in 1812, she moved to the vicinity 
of Beverly, living on the farm now owned by Mr. 
Sheffield. Mr. Legge lived in Gananoque until 1827, 
when he removed to his present residence, two miles 



east of the village. Children of Joshua Legge, Sr. : 
Christiana, married John Hicock ; Charlotte, mar 
ried George D. Ferguson, son of the late Hon. Adam 
Ferguson ; Mary Jane, married Samuel McCammon, 
of Gananoque ; Charles (otherwise noticed) ; Filma, 
married Nelson Landon ; and 

JOSHUA LEGGE, JR., 

Born April i4th, 1834. On the i3th of July, 1864, 
he married, and has six children. Since 1867, he 
has been a member of the Township Council most 
of the time, also representing the Front of Leeds 
and Lansdowne as Reeve or Deputy Reeve since 
1869. In 1878, he was chosen Warden of Leeds and 
Grenville. For the past fifteen years he has been 
Captain of No. 2 Company of the 4ist Battalion. 
Taking a deep interest in agricultural matters, he 
has engaged in the manufacture of cheese, and 
encouraged the importation of superior stock. A 
Liberal Conservative in politics, he has frequently 
been spoken of as a candidate for parliamentary 
honors in South Leeds. 

CHARLES LE<;GK, C. E. 

Mr. Legge was born at Silver Springs, near 
Gananoque, September 29th, 1829. As a boy, 
Charles Legge received his education at the Gan 
anoque Academy. In 1846, he entered the University 
of Queen s College. He was afterwards articled as 
a pupil to Samuel Keefer, Esq., C. E., who was at 
the time Engineer of the Welland Canal. On the 
appointment of that gentleman to be Chief Engineer, 
the pupil followed his teacher to Montreal and de 
voted himself with great zeal and industry to mas 
tering the mysteries of his profession. In 1852, he 
was appointed Superintending Engineer of the St. 
Lawrence Canals, in which position he gave the 
greatest satisfaction. In the succeeding year he was 
appointed to the construction of the Junction Canal, 
from Iroquois to the quiet water above the Gallops 
Rapids. At the request of Mr. Keefer, Mr. Legge 
separated himself from the Government work, and 
took charge of the building of the Grand Trunk 
Railway from Brockville to Kingston. Upon the 
completion of the Grand Trunk Railway, he was 
appointed Superintending Engineer of the south 
half of the Victoria Bridge. From that date, Mr. 
Legge held a place in the foremost rank of civil 
engineers upon this continent, his services being 
sought by railway companies, bridge builders, and 
corporations requiring the services of an engineer. 

At a meeting of the inhabitants of the Township 
of Leeds, in the Province of Upper Canada, -held at 
the Village of Gananoque, on the day of - , 
1818, Joel Stone, Esq., President, for the purpose of 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVTLLE. 



answering certain queries proposed in an address 
from Robert Gourlay, respecting the local situation, 
soil, produce, agricultural improvements, etc., of 
this Township, we give the following as an unani 
mous opinion : 

ist. Township of Leeds, situated on the River St. 
Lawrence, commencing about 15 miles below 
Kingston 6 miles in front, about 16 miles in 
depth ; laid out regularly in concessions, or ranges 
of lots of land, each range a little exceeding one 
and one-quarter miles in depth, and each lot 19 
chains in width, with an allowance for roads between 
every six lots. 

2nd. Commenced settling in the year 1792. Num 
ber of inhabitants, 319 ; houses, 46. 

3rd. One good frame building erected and finished 
for a school house in the Village of Gananoque, and 
also to serve occasionally for a place of Divine wor 
ship, and free for ministers of different denomina 
tions. There are no regular preachers resident, but 
those of the Methodist and Baptist congregations 
preach every alternate Sabbath day, and occasion 
ally those of the Presbyterian persuasion. 

4th. There is one medical practitioner. 

5th. Number of schools, one ; under the patronage 
of the Board of Education for this District (viz.) 
Johnstown, comprehending two Counties Leeds 
and Grenville. Salary, 20 6s. 31!. currency per 
quarter, including an allowance of ^5 from the 
Government per quarter. 

6th. Stores. 3 ; all in the above named village. 

7th.. Inns or taverns, 2. 

8th. Grist or flour mills, i, working one run of 
stones: saw mills, 4 one of three sets of gins, 
occasionally having from three to six saws in oper 
ation ; one of two saws, and two single mills. 
When timber is sawn upon shares, the owner 
receives one-half. Grist mills for grinding draw 
every twelfth bushel. 

pth. Soil, mostly of a brown, marly clay, having 
a black earth on the surface, of from two to 
three inches. In many places the soil on the 
ridges or heights of land consists of a sandy loam, 
of a reddish yellow cast, intermixed with black 
earth towards the surface. In the 3rd Concession 
or range, the soil is black earth on the surface, two 
or three inches, then a reddish brown loam, six or 
seven inches, on a marly clay bottom. In other 
ridges, and in some low grounds, the color of the 
clay approaches to white, and is of a hard loam 
nature ; but these are by far the smaller tracts 
of land, as in other places the rock rises to the 
surface. Near the water, in several large tracts, 
the soil is a deep black earth, upon a brown clay. 
In the 4th, 5th, and 6th Ranges are several extensive 
17 



bodies of water termed lakes, all of which dis 
embogue themselves into the Gananoque River. 
Adjacent to these waters, the soil is a very deep 
black sandy loam, and near the said tracts are 
other extensive tracts of black earth of great 
depth. This Township may be considered as well 
watered ; and although the surface is in many 
places uneven, yet in general it is fit for cultivation. 

roth. Different kinds of timber trees : (i) Hard or 
sugar maple, from which large quantities of sugar, 
of an excellent quality, are annually made ; (2) 
white or rock maple ; (3) beech ; (4) pine white, 
red, yellow or Norway, and black or pitch ; (5) oak 
white and red ; (6) ash black and white ; (7) 
basswood ; (8) hickory or walnut ; (9) hemlock ; 
(10) cedar white and red ; (n) elm white, red 
rock and slippery bark ; (12) tamarack; (13) aspin ; 
(14) poplar ; (15) ironwood ; (16) birch white, 
yellow and black ; (17) cherry; (18) butternut ; (19) 
spruce, in small quantities ; juneberry, alder, horn 
beam, hazel, etc., etc., underwoods. 

nth. Building Stone: (i) A good, firm sand 
stone, tolerably free, in abundance ; (2) a white and 
grey stone, free, and very easy to work, in abund 
ance ; (3) fire proof sand stone, in good quantities, 
in the rear of the Township ; (4) a greyish flint 
stone, intermixed with red ; excellent mill stones are 
made of this kind of stone ; (5) greenish, blue soap 
stone, resembling marble, has been discovered, 
which hereafter may be found useful for chimney 
pieces and other ornamental work. The price, per 
toise, for quarrying stone cannot well be ascertain 
ed, as people generally procure the article them 
selves or their own hired hands ; therefore it only can 
be calculated from the price of labor in Query i6th. 

1 2th. Minerals : Iron ore, of a good quality, has 
been discovered. Indications of large quantities are 
favorable. It has been reported that there are indi 
cations of coal, but this is not as yet ascertained. 
Indications of lead arc more favorable. A discovery 
has lately been made in rear of the Township of 
large quantities of a white substance or earth, much 
resembling lime. It has been applied to purposes 
for which lime is used and found to answer ex 
tremely well. We are not sufficient mineralists to 
determine the specie or even the genus to which this 
substance belongs, but must express that our hopes 
are very sanguine respecting its utility. 

ijth. Bricks have not been made in this Township. 
It is allowed by persons understanding that art, that 
there are suitable materials in abundance fit for the 
purpose. 

i4th. Roach lime at the kiln, one shilling per 
bushel ; slacked lime, six pence per bushel. 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



i5th. Wages of blacksmiths, masons and car 
penters are very high. 

i6th. Wages of common laborers : $130 per 
annum ; per winter month, from $8 to $13 ; per 
summer month, $12 to $16 ; for harvest work, per 
day, 5-f. and boarded. Women, for house work per 
week, $s. ; women, for spinning, 5^. to 6s. per week. 

1 7th. Price of mowing grass for hay, 2s. 6tf. per 
acre, and boarded ; reaping wheat, 5^. per acre, and 
boarded ; cradling grain, is. dd. per acre, and 
boarded. 

i8th. Cost of clearing and fencing: A given piece 
of woodland, say five acres, from $13 to $15 per 
acre. It may be well to observe here that new land 
in general does not require ploughing, but simply 
harrowing for the first crop. 

i gth. Price of a good work horse, 4 years old, 
from $50 to $70 ; a pair or yoke of oxen, 5 years old, 
from $70 to $80 ; a good cow, from $20 to $25 ; 
sheep, $2 to $3 per head. 

2oth, Quantity of wool yielded from one sheep, 
from 2 to 5 Ibs. Average price of wool : Ordinary 
quality, zs.; superior, zs. dd per pound. 

2ist. Time of turning out beasts to pasture : 
Young cattle are generally turned into the woods 
about the 2oth of April, as also cows, but if the 
spring is backward, it is necessary to feed them a 
week or two longer. Horses and working cattle or 
oxen are kept up till the ploughing season is over 
for the spring crops. They are generally taken to 
stable or yard some time in November, according as 
the season is. 

22nd. Ordinary time of sleighing season : The 
commencement much depends on the forwardness 
of the winter, but generally begins about the 2oth 
of December, and ends about the 2oth of March. 
This mode of travelling is both pleasant and expe 
ditious, and of the greatest utility for conveying 
timber and heavy loads. Ploughing in the spring 
commences about 2oth April, 

23rd. Time of sowing wheat in the fall : from 
the 251?. of August to the 151)1 of October the 
earlier the better. For spring wheat and rye, the 
ground being previously ploughed in the fall, it is 
sown to most advantage by harrowing the seed in 
as early as possible, say from the i5th to 3oth of 
April. Usual time of reaping : generally from the 
2oth of July to the middle of August. Barley, oats, 
and pease are cultivated with great success ; the 
same rules for spring wheat are also applicable to 
these grains. 

24th. Quantity of wheat to sow an acre of ground : 
one and one-quarter bushels if sown early if later, 
a peck is generally added. Twenty-five to thirty 
bushels may be considered as the average yield, 



although many have been the instances of a much 
greater quantity, especially in early sowings and 
faithful culture. 

25th. One cow will produce 150 Ibs. of cheese and 
80 Ibs. of butter annually, and a greater quantity if 
highly fed. Average price of cheese, &/.; butter, 
is. T,d. currency per pound. We cannot confine 
ourselves to answer as to the age of an ox, or the 
quantity of pasture ground, but experience has 
shown us that if a full grown working ox is turned 
out in the wilderness in the spring, in the following 
fall he will weigh from 800 to 1,200, and produce 
about 60 Ibs. rough tallow, 

26th. Ordinary course of cropping new land : 
Experience has shown it is the best way to take 
but one crop of wheat off, and seed the ground 
down to grass, which will produce abundantly 
for five or six years, by which time the roots are 
so far rotten that it may be ploughed and fallowed 
to good advantage for wheat, and afterwards suit 
able for other grains for several years, requiring no 
manure, except it is required to plant Indian corn, 
in which case manure is necessary. The last men 
tioned grain does extraordinary well on new land 
the first crop, and very well the second crop. Pota 
toes and turnips are raised in great abundance also 
on new land. Of the former, new ground will yield 
from 30 to 40 bushels to one bushel planting. In 
this Township, 600 bushels of turnips were raised 
on two acres of new ground. The natural advan 
tages of the country are great in point of helps, for 
the land and manure, especially those lands near 
any of the above mentioned waters. Reproduction 
is understood, but not as yet much practiced. 

27th. It is difficult to let lands to advantage with 
out stocking it. If stocked the produce is equally 
divided. 

28th. Price of wild lands : At first settlement, 2s. 6if. 
per acre, and some was sold for less ; in eight or ten 
years it rose to 5.?. per acre ; in a few more years to 
ios., and so to 15.?. per acre. Lands on the river are 
now worth aoj-. per acre. Those in the 2nd and 3rd 
ranges, TOS. ; further back, $s., provided no settle 
ment is near. 

29th. The quantity of land now for sale in this 
Township is very great, as but few of the back lands 
are settled, except in the reir of the Township. It 
is supposed, on good grounds, that there may be up- 
ivards of twenty thousand acres for sale. 

3oth. State of public roads : Formerly our roads 
were almost impassable. It is about four years ago 
the government took the matter into consideration 
and granted money for laying out and repairing the 
main roads, which has, in general, been laid out to 
good purposes. In this township the money granted 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



has been so well applied that the improvements 
made are of the greatest public benefit. Upon the 
whole, the roads through the Province are much 
altered for the better, and are still improving. 

In answer to the second part of the query, the 
Gananoque River is navigable for boats and rafts, 
about forty miles from the mouth, emptying into the 
St. Lawrence at the Village of Gananoque. This 
navigation is impeded by several falls and rapids, 
notwithstanding it is very beneficial. The situations^ 
of the falls and rapids mentioned, are of such a 
nature that it would not be attended with very 
heavy expense (considering the length of navigation), 
to remove the present difficulties, at least in a great 
measure. A partial improvement could be made by 
constructing four dams and as many aprons or run 
ways at the different falls and rapids ; by this 
means, boats could be hauled up by a simple ma 
chinery by water, and rafts and boats would pass 
down with safety. An improvement of this sort is 
estimated at ^2,000 currency. If means could be 
obtained, it would still be more to advantage to im 
prove the navigation effectually by good locks and 
canals. These would be also required in four differ 
ent places ; the probable expense would amount to 
,5,000. The benefits which the country would 
derive from these would, we presume, be incal 
culable, opening an easy water communication be 
tween the River St. Lawrence and the fine and 
extensive settlements of Bastard, Crosby, Kitley and 
even to within two miles of the Rideau water, on 
which the new settlements of disbanded soldiers and 
emigrants are forming. 

An omission relative to roads being made above, 
it may be supplied here. A public road is laid out 
from Gananoque to Perth upon Tay and the new 
settlements in those parts, going through about the 
centre of Leeds, crossing the Gananoque, and in 
several places passing near that river. This road 
is already cut through as far as the back road to 
Kingston, and when finished will be essentially 
beneficial to these parts of the Province. There are 
several good beds of gravel in this Township, and 
when that article is deficient, either lime or sand 
stone abounds. We trust the period is not far 
distant when these materials will be applied, and, 
in consequence, good roads run through the 
Province. 

3ist. The impediments to the growth, etc., etc., 
of our settlement doubtless is the want of men and 
money, and we verily believe that a competent 
knowledge of the local situation and real advan 
tages existing in this vicinity being fully known in 
Europe (particularly throughout the United King 
dom), would immediately remove all such impedi 



ments and operate materially to the harmony and 
strength of the whole empire. And probably this 
remark may apply to the Province generally. 

JOEL STONE, J. P. 
T. F. ROWLAND, 
GEORGE EBBERSON, 
WILLIAM STURUIVANT, 
SAMUEL BEARMAN, 
GEORGE WILKISON, 
TRUMAN HICOCK, J. P., 
THOMAS EMERY, 
NEAL McMuLAx, 
EPHRAIM WEBSTER, 
JOHN BROWNSOK, 
CHARLES MCDONALD, 
JOHN S. McDoxALD. 

It is related that Colonel Joel Stone at one time 
offered a bounty of $10 for every wolf shot in the 
settlement ; 25 cents for a crow s head, provided it 
was shot on the east side of the river, and 20 cents 
if killed on the west side. It is unnecessary to state 
that not a single crow met its death on the west 
side. 

Among the first settlers of the village, was James 
Rodgers, a young Scotch boy. 

In 1824, the McDonalds, together with Colonel 
Stone, had secured the Sir John Johnston grant. 

In 1824, the settlement had grown to such an 
extent that the McDonalds had the place surveyed 
and laid out as a village, the lots on Main Street 
(60x120 feet) being valued at $50 each. 

The first wheat raised in the vicinity of Gananoqne 
was in the summer of 1827. It was grown on land 
owned by the McDonalds. The crop aggregated 
3,000 bushels. 

For many years the place was very unhealthy, 
fever and ague prevailing in consequence of the 
swamps surrounding the settlement. In 1826-7, 
the malaria fever nearly deciminated the settlement. 
Six out of the McDonald household died. Business 
was suspended, and most of those who were able 
left the place. 

In 1832, ship building was commenced in the 
village by the construction of the Iroquois, built 
expressly for running the rapids. 

Statistics of Gananoque, taken by Ephraim Web 
ster, in January, 1849 : Families, 125 ; male heads 
of families, 113 ; female heads of families, 12. 

Adult population males 109 

Females 127 

Children , S3 2 

Total 768 

Of these, 316 are fathers and sons ; 312, mothers 
and daughters ; 38, male servants ; 47, female ser 
vants ; 46, male boarders ; and 9 female boarders. 



132 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



Three hundred and three are on the west side of 
the river, and 465 on the east side. 

In the year 1848, there was bought and sold 3,086 
gallons of alcohol, costing ,480 9.?.; 3,924 gallons 
of malt liquor and cider, costing ,145 ios.; 6,336 
Ibs. of tobacco, costing ^224 155-.; 17,676 Ibs. of 
sugar, costing ^482 ; 660 Ibs. of molasses, costing 
^64 i3j. 4//.; 7,395 Ibs. of tea, costing ,773 TJS. 6/f. 

The following is a summary of the assessment 
for the year 1877 : 

Number of persons assessed, 696. 

Number of acres assessed, 1,556. 

Number of acres cleared, 1,556. 

Value of real property, $701,650. 

Value of taxable income, 5,750. 

Value of personal property, $20,900. 

Amount of real and personal property, $722,550. 

Taxes imposed by Municipality, $6,783. 

Taxes imposed by Counties, $600. 

Expenditure for roads and bridges, $916. 

Expenditure for schools, $2,949. 

R. P. COLTON. 

The subject of this sketch was born in Oswego 
County, in 1808. He first served his apprenticeship 
at the woolen business, removing to Canada in 1830, 
and settled at Gananoque, commencing the manu 
facture of hand rakes (the first rakes made by 
machinery in Canada. In the following year, forks 
were added to the business. In 1836, ["a small 
foundry was established for making ploughs, about 
1,000 being turned out in a year. In 1841, the 
premises, including all the books, were destroyed 
by fire. In 1842, Mr. Colton removed to Brockville, 
and in company with Luther Houghton, laid the 
foundation of the old Brockville foundry. Mr. 
Houghton disposed of his interest to Benjamin 
Chaffey ; in a few months Mr. Chaffey failed, and 
the entire business devolved upon Mr. Colton. In 
October, 1850, a destructive fire broke out, which 
destroyed everything connected witli the manufac 
ture of stoves in the foundry, except the patterns 
for the " Brockville Air Tight," then a new stove. 
Mr. Colton by untiring activity rebuilt the moulding 
room in four weeks, a building 70x100 feet, and in 
a few days after the establishment was turning out 
thirty "Air Tights" per diem. 

During the succeeding four months, one thousand 
five hundred stoves were made and sold. In 1853, 
Mr. Colton s health became impaired, and, in conse 
quence, he made atrip through France, Italy, Egypt 
and Palestine. During the year 1858, he commenced 
the manufacture of stoves in the Lower Provinces, 
but, the premises being destroyed by fire, he dis 
posed of the business. In 1854, he hud commenced 



the erection of a residence " Thornton Cliff," which, 
when completed, was one of the fimest in Canada. In 
1863, from a few bad investments and the endorsa- 
tion of notes for other parties, he suffered a loss of 
$60,000, which compelled him to make an assign 
ment ; subsequently all demands were paid in full. 
During the American war, Mr. Colton associated 
with another person and engaged in the extensive 
cultivation of flax in the County of Dundas. In the 
preparation of the refuse tow, heavy machinery was 
required, and an establishment for that purpose was 
opened at Gananoque, which has since been trans 
formed into a manufactory for agricultural imple 
ments. 

W. BROUGH. 

Mr. Brough was born in Scotland in 1816, and in 
1840 removed to Canada, where he secured an in 
terest in the mercantile business of the late Hon. 
James Morris, of Brockville. In 1845, ne married 
Elizabeth, daughter of the late Dr. Thomas Rich 
mond, of Paisley, Scotland. Mrs. Brough died in 
1856. Mr. Brough next married a daughter of the 
late A. Ramsay, of Pittsburg, Ont. Removing to 
Gananoque in 1847, Mr. Brough purchased Mr. 
McDonald s grist and flouring mill, and has carried 
on the milling and mercantile business from that 
date, doing an extensive business. 

JUDGE MCDONALD. 

Herbert S. McDonald, the Judge of the County 
Court of the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, 
was born at Gananoque, in February 1842, and was 
the youngest son of the Honorable John McDonald, 
of that place. After a grammar school education 
in Gananoque and a short term of school life at 
Kingston, he entered the University of Queen s 
College in the autumn of 1856, and graduated as a 
Bachelor of Arts in 1859, and took the degree of 
Master of Arts in 1861. In June, 1859, he entered 
the law office of Mr. A. N. Richards, now Lieutenant 
Governor of British Columbia, and subsequently 
completed his studies in Toronto. He was called to 
the Upper Canada Bar in May 1863, and in the 
summer of the same year formed a law partnership 
in Brockville with F. W. H. Chambers, Esq., then 
M. P. P. for Brockville. In 1864, Mr. McDonald 
married a daughter of David Jones, Esq., then 
Registrar of the County of Leeds. At the general 
election in 1871, he was returned as member for 
South Leeds in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, 
which position he held until appointed in October 
1873, the Junior Judge of the County Court of the 
United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, In 
December, 1878, he was made Senior Judge of the 
Counties, a position which he fills with distinguished 
ability. 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 

WOLFORD, OXFORD, MARLIJOKOCUH AND MONTAGUE. 

ORIGINALLY, the Townships of Wolford, Oxford, 
Marlborough and Montague were considered as one 
township for municipal purposes and possessed but 
one Council 

The following list contains the names of all the 
settlers in the respective townships in the year 1802 : 

OXFORD. 

Jeremiah Harris, Precilla Harris, Silas Harris, 
Levi Harris. William Harris, Sr., William Harris, 
Jr., Hulda Harris, Hebron Harris, Daniel Harris, 
David Harris, Caleb Harris, Lucy Harris, Hiram 
Harris, Nancy Harris. 

MARLBOROUGH. 

Stephen Burritt, Martha Burritt, Henry Burritt, 
Edmund Burritt, Sally Burritt, Sally Lakins, Danitl 
Burritt, Electa Burritt, George Burritt, Urania 
Burritt, Marcus P. Phillips, Richard Olmsted, Eliza 
beth Olmsted, Mary Olmsted, Charlotte Olmsted, 
Lucinda Olmsted, Clarissa Olmsted, Eunice Olm 
sted, Roger Moore, Gideon Olmsted, Esther Olmsted, 
Sally Olmsted, Zenus Olmsted, Gideon Olmsted, 
Abraham Olmsted, Jabez Olmsted, Daniel Olmsted, 
Daniel Bullis, Elizabeth Bullis, John Bullis, Polly 
Bullis, Jeremiah Bullis, Jabez Bullis, Julia Bullis, 
Richard II. Bullis, Hannah Bullis, William Bullis, 
Daniel Bullis, Gideon Bullis, Elizabeth Bullis, 
Miriam Bullis, Asahel Hurd, Sally Hurd, Nancy 
Hurd, Truman Hurd, Esther Hurd, Jehiel Hurd, Eli 
Hurd, Stephen Hurd, Truman Waller, Patty Waller, 
Eder Waller, Eliad Waller, Roxy Waller, Eunice 
Waller, Maudana Waller, Matilda Waller, Oronda 
Waller, William Soles, Gertrude Soles, Charles Soles, 
Anna Soles, Duncan Grant, Sr., Onner Grant, 
Rachael Grant, John Grant, Allan Grant, Abraham 
Lehi, Rebecca Lehi, Cornelius Losee, Jabez Olm 
sted, Eunice Olmsted, Hiram Olmsted, Noah Olm 
sted, Elizabeth Hicks, Sarah Hicks, Gertrude Hicks, 
Thomas Hicks, Joseph Hicks. 

MONTAGUE. 

Henry Arnold, Hannah Arnold, Richard Arnold, 
William Mars, Jesse Mclntier, Solomon Mclntier, 
William Mclntier, Martha Mclntier, Lucy Mclntier, 
Gideon Haskins, Leonard Ilodgskins, Sarah Hodgs- 
kins, William Hodgskins, Rebecca Hodgskins, Paula 
Ilodgskins, Samuel McCrea, Jennett McCrea, John 
McCrca, Edward McCrea, Thomas McCrea, Polly 
McCrea, Susannah McCrea, Alexander McCrea, 
James McCrea, Isaac McCrea, Rebecca McCn-a, 
Thomas Jarvis, Susannah Jarvis, Ira Jarvis, Thomas 
Jarvis, Jr., Samuel Jarvis, Polly Jarvis, Kllliamur 



Haskins, Archibald Hill, Eve Hill, John Hill, Moses 
Merrick, Mabel Merrick, Robert Nicholson, Benjamin 
VanKurer, Abigial VanKurer, Charity VanKurer, 
Leah VanKurer, Lydia VanKurer, Patty VanKurer, 
John Chester, Phcebe Chester, Hannah Chester, 
Thomas Chester, Polly Chester, Elizabeth Chester, 
Michael Chester, Daniel Nettleton, Phcebe Nettleton, 
David Nettleton, Boswell Nettleton, Barney Nettle- 
ton, Sarah Nettleton, Daniel Nettleton, Samuel 
Nettleton, Mary Nettleton, David Nettleton, Patty 
Lakins, Moses Derrick. Nancy Nettleton, Priscella 
Nettleton, Samuel Stafford, Elizabeth Stafford, 
Elizabeth Stafford, Martha Stafford, Phcebe Stafford, 
Mary Stafford, Elizabeth Stafford, Rosannah Stafford, 
Benjamin Mosher, James Covill, Cynthia Covill, 
Rufus Covill, Francis J. Covill, William Merrick, 
Sr., Sylvia Merrick, William Merrick, Jr., Charlotte 
Merrick, Charles Merrick, Paula Merrick, Aaron 
Merrick. 

The Book of Record, as was the case in the Town 
ship of Bastard, was used as a register for births, 
marriages and deaths, as well as for other public 
purposes. 

We present a few extracts : 

James Francis Covill, son of James and Cynthia 
Covill, was born July 27th, 1800. 

George Landon Burritt, son of Daniel and Electa 
Burritt, was born March iSth, 1798. 

Erastus Brown, son of William and Chloe Brown, 
of Wolford, was born March i4th, 1791. 

Hiram McCrea, son of Edward and Mary McCrea, 
of Montague, was born July 2nd, 1809. 

The minutes of the first Town Meeting are not 
extant. The second meeting was held at the house 
of Nathan Brown, Wolford, on the 7th of March, 
1803. Daniel Burritt was elected Clerk ; Asahel 
Hurd and William Brown, Assessors ; Richard Olm 
sted, Collector ; Gideon Olmsted, Caleb Harris, 
Samuel Stafford, Joseph Easton, Henry Arnold, Joel 
Smades, Joseph Haskins, Overseers of Highways ; 
Daniel Burritt, Daniel Nettleton, Joel Smades, Wil 
liam Davies, Joseph Haskins, Pound Keepers ; and 
Samuel Stafford and Cooley Weller, Town Wardens. 

POPULATION STATISTICS. 

Population of Wolford in 1802, 165 ; Oxford, in 
1802, 14 ; Marlborough, in 1802, 85 ; Montague, in 
1802, 90. Wolford, in 1806, 275 ; Oxford, in 1806, 
33. Total in the four townships (1807), 504. 

In the winter of 1808-9, the following parties 

moved into the Tmvships specified : 

\Volfi.rd : James Kirkham, Sail" Firkham, Jona 
than (Jay, Mary Gay, Asa Blanchard, Hannah 
Blanchard, Annis Haskins, Anson Haskins, Amos 
Coolidge, and Pamela Coolidge 



134 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



Oxford : Abel Adams, Truman Adams, Sarah 
Adams, and Mary Adams. 

Marlborough : Robert McCartney, Duncan Mc 
Cartney, Boswell Seaton, and Mary Seaton. 

Montague : John Wickwire, Alice Wickwire, Mary 
Wickwire, Margaret Wickwire, Catherine Wickwire. 
The following list contains all the patents for land 
granted by the Crown, in the Township of Oxford, 
up to the 3ist day of December, 1802 : 


TOWNSHIP OF OXFORD (Continued.) 


K 



U 


Lot. 


Name of Grantee. 


Part of Lot. 


OJ 

ft 
O 

< 


Date of Patent. 


5 

6 

7 

8 

9 
10 


7 

12 
13 

H 
5 
17 

18 

19 

22 
23 

24 

2 5 
26 

27 

6 

7 
9 

10 
12 

3 

i? 
18 
20 

21 

23 
24 
25 
26 

I 

3 
6 

8 
9 

10 

II 

13 

18 

20 

22 
24 
26 

2 

6 

8 
9 

10 

ii 

13 
23 
26 

4 
6 

7 
9 

22 
24 
27 
I 

5 
I3-H 
15-16 

9 
23 


James Campbell 


All 
All 
All 
AH 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
AH 
All 
All 
AH 
All 
N 1-2 

All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
AH 
All 
All 
E Side 
All 
All 
AH 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 

El-2 

All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
AH 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
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May 1 7th, 1802 
Dec. 2nd, 1802 
Nov. 251)1, 1802 
May 28th, 1796 
Sept. 4th, 1800 
Nov. 25th, 1802 
Aug. 24th, 1796 
June 4th, 1796 
May 1 7th, 1802 
Aug. 24111, 1796 
May 1 7th, 1802 
July loth, 1795 
May I7th, 1802 
Dec. 2nd, 1802 
May ist, 1798 
June 3Oth, 1 80 1 
May 1 7th, 1802 
June 4th, 1796 
Dec. 22nd, 1802 
Dec. 2nd, 1802 
July loth, 1795 
Nov. 251)1, 1802 
Aug. 24th, 1796 
Mar. 1 2th, 1797 
Mar. 1 2th, 1797 
Aug. 24th, 1796 
Mar. 17111, 1802 
July loth, 1795 
Mar. 1 2th, 1797 
Jan. 28th, 1802 
May ist, 1798 
Nov. 25th, 1802 
May 28th, 1796 
May 1 7th, 1802 
Nov. 25th, 1802 
June 4th, 1796 
Dec. 22nd, 1802 
May I7th, 1802 
July loth, 1795 
Mar. i6th, 1797 
Mar. 1 6th, 1797 
June 1 2th, 1798 
May I7th, 1802 
Mar. 1 2th, 1797 
April 6th, 1797 
May 28th, 1796 
May I7th, 1802 
Nov. 25th, 1802 
May I7th, 1802 
Dec. 22nd, 1802 
May I7th, 1802 
July toth, 1795 
April 6th, 1797 
June 1 2th, 1798 
May I7th, 1802 
Dec. 22nd, 1802 
Dec. 2nd, 1802 
May I/th, 1802 
June I2th, 1798 
Mar. I2th, 1797 
Mar. 24th, 1798 
June I2th, 1798 
June I2th, 1798 
May 1 7th, 1802 
Sept. 4th, 1800 
June 301)1, 1801 
.Vov. 2Stb, 1802 


Capt. Peter Drummond 


Capt. William Fraser. 






Capt. Thomas Fraser. . 
Thomas Sherwood .... 
Capt. John Jones 


TOWNSHIP OF OXFORD. 


William Buell 
Capt. Jas. Brackenridge 
Elijah Bottnm 
Capt. Peter Drummond 


B 

c 

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Lot. 


Name of Grantee. 


Part of Lot. 


e 

CJ 

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Date of Patent. 


Ile/ekiah Moshcr 
Reuben Sherwood . . . 
James Campbell 


Capt. Thomas P raser. . 
Capt. Hugh Munro. . . 
Capt. Peter Drummond 
Capt. Jas. Brackenridgt 
William Snyder 
Capt. John Jones 
Christian Barkley 
Philip Barkley 


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Xov. 25th, 1802 
June 4th, 1796 
Dec. 22nd, 1802 
May I7th, 1802 
May 28th, 1796 
May 1 7th, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 
Aug. 241)1, 1796 
July loth, 1795 
May 1 7 tli, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 
May I7th, 1802 
May I7th, 1802 
Dec. 22nd, 1802 
Nov. 25th, 1802 
Dec. 2nd, 1802 
May I7th, 1802 
Nov. 25th, 1802 
June 4th, 1796 
Dec. 22nd, 1802 
May 171!], 1802 
May 28lh, 1796 
May I7th, 1802 
May I7th, 1802 
Sept. 4th, 1800 
Dec. 22nd, 1802 
Aug. 24th, 1796 
July loth, 1795 
May 17*, 1802 
May l/th, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 
Dec. 22nd, 1802 
Nov. 25th, 1802 
Dec. 2nd, 1802 
May 2Sth, 1796 
May 17th, 1802 
Nov. 25th, 1802 
Tune 4th, 1796 
Dec. 22nd, 1802 
May 28th, 1796 
Sept. 4th, 1800 
Dec. 22nd, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 
Aug. 24th, 1796 
May 17th, 1802 
July loth, 1795 
May I7th, 1802 
Dec. 2nd, 1802 
Dec. 2nd, 1802 
Mar. mil, 1797 
April 6th, 1797 
Dec. 22nd, 1802 
May 28th, 1796 
Sept. 4th, 1800 
Dec. 22nd, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 
Aug. 24th, 1796 
June 4th, 1796 
May I7th, 1802 
Aug. 24th, 1796 
May I7th, 1802 
July loth, 1795 
May I7th, 1802 
Dec. 2nd, 1802 
Dec. 2nd, 1802 


Capt. Thomas Fraser. . 
Ensign Wm. Lampson 
Thomas Sherwood .... 
Capt. William Fraser. . 
Ephraim Jones 


Capt. John Jones. . . . 


Capt. Jorn Jones 
William Buell . 


Capt. Jas. Brackerridge 
James Campbell .... 


Capt. Jas. Brackenridge 
Joacham Barkley 


William Buell 


David Brakenridge . . . 
Alexander Campbell.. 
Capt. Hugh Munro. .. 


HezeViah Mosher 


Mary Wecj^ar .... 


Capt. William Fraser.. 


Capt. Peter Drummond 
David Brakenridge . . . 
jideon Adams 
Capt. Thomas Fraser . 
Ensign Wm. Lampson 
Thomas Sherwood. . . . 
"apt. William Fraser. . 
Ephraim Jones 


William Snyder 
Capt. Thomas Fraser.. 
Capt. Hugh Munro. . 
Alexander Campbell. 
Capt. Jas. Brackenridge 
Averhart Barcklcy. . . . 
Averhart Barckley . . . 
Peter Barckley 


Elijah Bottum 


William Buell 


Ensign Wm. Lampson 
Capt. John Jones 
Capt. Jas. Brackenridge 
fames Campbell .... 
William Buell 
Alexander Campbell., 
"apt. Hugh Munro. . . 
William Snyder ... 
Capt. Peter Drummond 
Capt. William Fraser. . 
David Brakenridge. . . . 


Christopher Barckley . . 
Conrad Northerman .. 
Capt. William Fraser.. 


William Snyder 
David Brakenridge.... 
Capt. Hugh Munro... 
Alexander Campbell . . 
Capt. Jas. Brackenridge 
Jane Fraser 
John Marklcy 


Andrew Yonge 


Capt. Thomas Fraser. . 
Ensign Wm. Lampson 
Capt. William Fraser. . 


Capt. Hugh Munro. . . 
Ensign Wm. Lampson 
David Brakenridge.. . . 
Nicholas Fulman 


Ensign Wm. Lampson 
Alexander Campbell . . 


Alexander Beadstead . . 


Peter Loucks 


Thomas Sherwood .... 
Capt. Jas. Brackenridge 






Susannah Jessup 


Capt. Peter Drummond 
Capt. Peter Drummond 
Capt. David McFall . . 
John Walker 


Hon. Richard Duncan 
Nicholas Zee 


The following is a summary of the Assessment of 
Oxford for the year 1877 : 

Number of persons assessed, 862. 
Number of acres assessed, 59,330. 
Number of acres cleared, 30,408. 
Value of real property, $764,495. 
Value of taxable income, $1,300. 
Value of personal property, 59,000. 
Amount of real and personal property, $823,495. 


Ensign Wm. Lampoon 
Capt. William Fraser. . 


Ensign Wm Lampson 
Alexander Campbell.. 
Capt. John Jones 
Capt. Thomas P raser . . 
Thomas Sherwood .... 
Capt. John Jones. . . 


William Buell 


Capt. Jas. Brackenridge 

Elijah Bottum . 


Capt. Peter Drummond 
Capt. Peter Drummond 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



135 



Taxes imposed by Municipality, $1,363. 
Taxes imposed by Counties, $2,337. 
Expenditure for roads and bridges, $639. 

THE WEIR FAMILY. 

John K. Weir, born July aoth, 1 840, married August 
7th, 1867, Julia, daughter of S. Starr Easton, of Wol- 
ford, by whom he had three children, Easton Miller, 
Bruce Spencer and John Fairbairn. J. K. Wier has 
resided in Wolford about thirteen years. Always a 
prominent Liberal, he contested North Leeds for the 
House of Commons in January, 1874, but was un 
successful, though polling a very strong vote, par 
ticularly in the portion of the riding where best 
known. 

George Ralph married Jane, daughter of Harry 
Shaver, Esq. ; resides in Edwardsburg. 

Elizabeth married the Rev. James Mitchell, of 
Mitchell. 

Georgiana married William Hastings, of Park Hill. 

Maggie married H. B. Merrick, of Peterboro . 

Mary married W. W. Hicks, of Mitchell. 

Brooks married M. McShane Duff, Spencerville. 

Jane married Joseph Stitt, Spencerville. 

George married Helen, daughter of Henry Easton, 
Esq. 

The following is the summary of the Assessment 
of Wolford for 1877 : 

Number of persons assessed, 531. 

Number of acres assessed, 46,315. 

Number of acres cleared, 20,90?. 

Value of real property, $363,365. 

Value of taxable income, $400. 

Value of personal properity, $37,325. 

Amount of real and personal property, $400.690. 

Taxes imposed by Municipality, $916. 

Taxes imposed by Counties, $1,583. 

COLONEL STEPHEN HURD ; 

AND 

EARLY INCIDENTS. 

Among the surviving pioneers of the Rideau, is 
Colonel Stephen Hurd, a resident of Burritt s Rapids. 
Colonel Hurd is the son of Ashael Hurd, who set 
tled on Lot No. 21, ist Concession of Marlborough, 
coming to Canada in 1793. As nael Hurd was a 
U. E. Loyalist and originally a resident of Arlington, 
Vermont. Tyrus Hurd, grandfather of Colonel 
Stephen Hurd, was killed in the revolutionary war, 
while fighting for King and Crown. 

In 1793, there was no sign of a village where 
Burritt s Rapids now stands. 

Terrence Smith built the first mill at the Rapids. 

Among the first settlers were : John S. French, 
who settled on the island ; Stephen Lane, Joel and 
Samuel Smades. 



The first church erected in Marlborough was built 
at the Rapids, about 1831 (Church of England.) 

The first school house was put up in 1822, on the 
farm of George L. Burritt. 

When Mr. Hurd, the elder, settled in Marlborough, 
the nearest point at which wheat could be ground 
was Jones Mills, above Brockville. At one time Mr. 
Hurd was absent from home for fourteen days in 
going to and returning from mill. 

The second church was built by the Methodists 
about twenty-three years since. 

A. Hurd had the following family : Truman, dead ; 
Esther married Josiah Simons ; Elias, dead ; Jehiel 
married a daughter of David Kilborn, she being a 
sister of Colonel John Kilborn ; Eli married Sarah 
Nichols, daughter of Jonathan Nichols ; Stephen 
married Lucretia, daughter of Major Burritt. 

Children by second wife : Lois married Charles 
Soles, of Matilda ; Ashael married Laura Chipman ; 
Isaac Nelson. 

Stephen Hurd was bom March ijih, 1802. His 
family of three children are all dead. Stephen par 
ticipated in the Battle of the Windmill, and is a hale 
and hearty old gentleman of 77 years. 

The first permanent settlers of Burritt s Rapids 
were the Burritt brothers Colonel Stephen Burritt, 
Colonel Edmund, and Colonel Henry Burritt. The 
latter laid out Burritt s Rapids, on Lot No. 5, in the 
ist Concession of Oxford. Colonel Daniel located 
on the north side of the Rideau, Lot No. 25, in the 
ist Concession of Marlborough. The Burritts were 
known as staunch defenders of the British flag. 
Jemimah Ward, great-grandmother of Hamlet Bur 
ritt, was upon one occasion. during the Revolutionary 
War, set to watch for the approach of Mallory s 
gang (a band of rebels who plundered Loyalist 
families in the vicinity of Arlington), as Mallory 
approached, Jemimah blew a horn : the result was 
that Dr. Adams shot Mallory dead. Her action in 
the matter becoming known to the Continental 
authorities, the heroine was compelled to fly for 
protection to Burgoyne s camp. Dr. Adams was 
also the great-grandfather of Hamlet Burritt, who 
now resides at the Rapids. 

The Hurds were originally from Arlington. Jehiel 
settled in Augusta, where he died ; Ashael first settled 
in Augusta, but removed to the Rideau in 1793 ; 
Andrew settled in Augusta ; Jabesh also settled in 
the same township. 

A man by the name of Losse, a Methodist 
preacher, settled about half a mile below the 
Rapids, in Marlborough. The first resident clergy 
man of the Rapids was the Rev. William Patton, 
afterwards Arch-Deacon Patton. 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



Colonel Hurd gives the following account of the 
settlement of other sections : 

The first settlers of Kemptvillc were Thomas 
McCarger, Asa Clothier, Truman Hurd, and David 
Beech. Beachburg, on the Ottawa, is named after 
the latter gentleman. Asa Clothier commenced the 
settlement at Oxford Mills, by building a grist and 
saw mill. Lyman Clothier and his son Asa built 
the first mill at Kemptville. Lyman Clothier had 
four sons, viz.: Asa, Lyman, Henry, and John. 
When Mr. Clothier commenced building the mill 
at Kemptville, the spot on which the village now 
stands was a wilderness. This was in the spring 
of 1814, and at that time there was not a house 
between Burritt s Rapids and Kemptville. 

The first settlers at Bishop s Mills were Chauncy 
and Ira Bishop, who built the mills about 1840. 

William Soules taught the first school in Burritt s 
Rapids, in a small log house. The second school 
was held in a stable, near the residence of Daniel H. 
Burritt. 

The locks on the Canal, at the Rapids, were built 
by Philoman Wright & Sons. 

The locks at Merrickville -were constructed by two 
men by the name of Stephens. It is asserted that 
after they had paid all expenses, it required a yoke 
of oxen to draw the half dollars which they cleared 
on the contract. 

J. K. REID; 

AND 

THK REID FAMILY. 

Obadiah Reid, father of James Kempt Reid, was a 
U. E. Loyalist from Connecticut. He was among 
the first settlers of Augusta, keeping at one time an 
inn at North Augusta, then known as the " Burnt 
Lands." Mr. Reid at an early date purchased the 
upper mills at Westport, which he sold to Robert 
Rorison. Mr. Reid discovered the lead mines, located 
a short distance west of Fermoy, which he subse 
quently developed and sold to an English Company. 
The mines were for several years worked extensively, 
but were ultimately abandoned. Mr. Reid raised 
the following family : Charles, who resides at 
Thunder Bay ; Benjamin, Spencerville ; Obadiah, 
Merrickville ; Hiram, Seeley s Bay ; Emery B., 
Frankville ; James Kemp, who was named by Sir 
James Kempt, at Smith s Falls ; John L., Spences 
Bridge, British Columbia ; Russell Henry, Port 
Hope ; Sarah, who married Henry Lake ; Lydia 
married Charles Dart. 

James Kempt Reid was born June 241)1, 1828, at 
Smith s Fallls ; he married Martha Brooks, of Ben- 
nington, Vermont, who bore him the following- 
children : Wellington B., Frank and Guy. Mr. 
Reid settled at Burritt s Rapids in 1857, where he 



has since continued to reside. For two years he was 
a member of the Council for Marl borough, since 
which time he has been with few exceptions a member 
of the Municipal Council for Oxford, for many years 
representing the municipality in the Counties 
Council as Reeve.. Mr. Reid is a Liberal Con 
servative in politics, and has announced his intention 
of contesting North Leeds and Grenville at the next 
general election as a candidate for a seat in the 
Legislative Assembly for Ontario. 

THOMAS A. KIDD. 

Mr. Kidd is the son of William Kidd, a wealthy 
farmer of Marlborough. Thomas was born Decem 
ber 141)1, 1845, and married, January 29th, 1875, 
Esther Ennis, daughter of James Ennis, of Ennis- 
ville, by whom he has had one child, Edith Eveline. 
Mr. Kidd became a clerk in 1866, and in 1871 bought 
out the mercantile business of John Meikle, at Bur 
ritt s Rapids, where he carries on an extensive general 
store. In 1878, he was elected Reeve of Oxford. 
Joining the militia in 1864, he secured a second 
class military certificate, and became Lieutenant 
of No. 3 Company, 56th Battalion, in 1868. 

THE WALDO FAMILY. 

This family is descended from Thomas Waldo, 
of Lyons, France, he being one of the first who 
renounced the doctrines of the Church of Rome 
in that country ; and he is supposed to have been 
a brother of the celebrated Peter Waldo, who died 
in 1179. I n the reign of Queen Elizabeth, one of 
the descendants of Thomas Waldo came over from 
the Netherlands, to escape the persecutions of the 
Duke D Alva, and settled in England. In a house 
belonging to the family, situated in Surrey, Eng 
land, is a wainscotting on which is cut the name, 
" Peter Waldo, 1575," or "3," the last figure being 
difficult to decipher. One of his descendants, Sir 
Edward Waldo, was born in 1632, and knighted in 
his own house, 1677, by Charles II., on which occa 
sion he entertained the King, the Princess, and the 
Duchess of York. Many descendants have occupied 
high positions in England, becoming dignitaries of 
the church, warriors, and barristers. The coat of 
arms of the family is entered in the College of Arms, 
1687. (See view.) 

A branch of the family settled in the United 
States in the 17111 Century, Cornelius, supposed to 
be the first, settling at Ipsevvich, Massachusetts, in 
1644. Samuel Waldo, of Boston, was a Brigadier 
General, who raised a regiment, and went to Louis- 
burgh in 1745, he being the third in command. He 
had five children, one of whom Samuel, was Judge 
of the Probate Court in Maine. Francis was several 
times a member of the Assembly of Massachusetts, 






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RESIDENCE AND SEFD FARM OF GEORGE NEWMAN, NEAR MERR1CK VILLE. 






F. SCHOFIELD. 



JAMES KELLER. 




E. H. WHITMARSH. 





GEORGE TAYLOR. 



WILLIAM FITZSIMMONS. 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



137 



while Hannah married the Secretary of State for 
Massachusetts. Joseph Waldo returned to England 
from the United States in 1783, being a United 
Empire Loyalist ; he settled at Bristol, and died 
in 1811. Among his descendants were Joseph 
Peter, who married a daughter of an Irish gentle 
man of Killarney. 

Ephraim Waldo, who was born at Mansfield, 
Connecticut, came to Canada, and was present at 
the battle of Queenston Heights, but was never 
afterwards heard from. His son, Volney Waldo, 
came to Canada in 1822, and worked for Billa 
Flint. While in Brockville, he was taken very 
ill, and his life despaired of. Being without money, 
he gave up all hope, as the necessary medical sup 
plies and attendance could not be secured. In his 
extremity, F. L. Lothrop came forward, and gener 
ously supplied him with funds and all that he 
required. Mr. Waldo never forgot the disinterested 
act of kindness, and when he married, named his 
first son after his benefactor. In 1824, Mr. Waldo 
removed to the Rideau, settling one and a-half 
miles below Burritt s Rapids. At one time, he and 
his wife and babe were for three days without fire, 
all being prostrated by fever and ague. Their situ 
ation was accidentally discovered by a man calling 
at the shanty for the purpose of lighting his pipe. 
In 1828, Mr. Waldo removed to Lot No. 26, in the 
ist Concession of Marlborough. His family con 
sisted of five children : Fordyce Lothrop, Horace, 
Reed, who married Lucretia, daughter of Robert 
Putnam, Wolford. Mr. Waldo was present at the 
battle of the Windmill. He died November 8th, 
1851, his wife surviving until December i-jth, 1867, 
she being the youngest daughter of Deacon Obadiah 
Reed, of Augusta. 

Reed Waldo s family consists of the following 
children : Julia L., Olive A., Volney S., Jane A., 
Lucretia E., Robert P., Clara E., and Anna M. Mr. 
Waldo is a prominent member of the Methodist 
Church. Ralph Waldo Emerson, the distinguished 
author, is a descendant on the maternal side of the 
Waldo family in the United States. 

MOSES WALDRON. 

Mr. Waldron s father was a native of New Hamp 
shire. He removed to Lachute, Lower Canada, at 
an early date, and joined the British army during 
the war of 1812-15, fighting gallantly in defence of 
Canada. During the Rebellion, he held a captain s 
commission. Moses was born at Lachute in the 
year 1827. In 1854, he married Miss Fish, who was 
born at Bath, Maine, in 1829, the result of the 
union being three surviving children, one of whom 

married Dr. McLean, of Spencerville. Mr. Waldron 

18 



removed to London, Ontario, and engaged in the 
lumbering business. In 1860, he located at Bishop s 
Mills, where he carries on an extensive mercantile 
business. He is an active member of the Canada 
Methodist Church, and taking a deep interest in the 
welfare of the village, has been instrumental in 
obtaining postal and telegraphic facilities. He is 
a Liberal in politics. 

E. H. WHITMARSH. 

Thomas Whitmarsh was a U. E. Loyalist, who 
emigrated from the State of New York and settled 
at New Johnstown, Edwardsburg, where he died. 
His son, E. H. Whitmarsh, was born March yth, 1809, 
at Edwardsburg. At the age of 16, he became a 
clerk for Billa Flint. Four years after, through the 
assistance of Horatio Gates, of Montreal, he opened 
a general store at Unionville, where he carried on an 
extensive business, purchasing large quantities of 
potash and wheat. Mr. Whitmarsh, at the end of 
three years, commenced business in Brockville, but 
in a short time removed to Merrickville, where he 
has since continued to reside. In 1826-7-8, he was 
a Commissioner of the Court of Request, and in 
1835-6-7, was elected a Township Commissioner. In 
January, 1842, he became a member of the District 
Council and was appointed one of the Commissioners 
for building the Court House. Mr. Whitmarsh has 
been a member of the District and Counties Council 
for 30 years, being elected Warden in 1854-5-6. and 
also for a portion of the year 1877. After settling in 
Merrickville, he engaged in the lumbering business, 
at the same time taking a deep interest in public 
affairs. During the rebellion, .Mr. Whitmarsh raised 
a company of volunteers and repaired to Brockville ; 
he was present at the Battle of the Windmill and 
purchased from a soldier, as a souvenir, the telescope 
used by the rebel commander Van Shoultz. While 
a member of the Counties Council, Mr. Whitmarsh 
has generally occupied the position of Chairman of 
the Finance Committee, and is consequently desig 
nated in the Council as the " Minister of Finance." 

GEORGE NEWMAN. 

Mr. Newman was born in Montague, October z8th, 
1849, and in March, 1876, purchased the seed farm 
on the Rideau River, formerly owned by Asa Parker, 
who had established an excellent reputation for the 
garden seeds raised by him. Mr. Newman has as 
sociated with him Alexander M. Wright, formerly a 
partner of Mr. Parker. Mr. Wright is a thoroughly 
practical gardiner. The gardens (a view of which is 
presented), are beautifully situated two miles below 
Merrickville, on the Rideau River, on Lot. No. 4, 
Concession B., Wolford. Thirty-five acres are de 
voted to the culture of seeds and vegetables. Every 






38 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



attention is given to the preparations of the seeds 
and only fresh ones are placed upon the market. 
Grown in a Canadian climate, they are much more 
reliable than imported seeds, and consequently to be 
relied upon. Mr. Newman also does an extensive 
business in fruit ; in 1878, his crop of grapes aggre 
gating four tons, including the Hartford, Concord 
and Deleware varieties. All new varieties of vege 
tables are thoroughly tested previous to placing the 
seeds on the market, thus avoiding disappointment. 
Mr. Newman, in consequence of the demand, has 
concluded to enlarge his gardens, a proof positive 
that his care and caution are coupled with the enter 
prise so necessary for success. 

BENJAMIN AND THOMAS COOK. 

These gentlemen are the sons of Joseph and 
Elizabeth Cook, and were born in Augusta. Ben 
jamin commenced life as a farmer. In 1865, he 
married Elizabeth Gray, who has borne him four 
children. In 1869, he removed to Andrewsville, 
where he has since resided. In 1878, he held the 
position of Deputy-Reeve of Montague. 

Thomas Cook married, in 1863, Mary Jane Gray, 
by whom he had three children. Mr. Cook first 
carried on business as miller in Kemptville, removing 
to Burritt s Rapids, and, in 1868, entering into 
partnership with Benjamin, at Andrewsville. The 
brothers purchased the grist mill (shown in the 
illustration) in 1869, from Rufus and Silas Andrews, 
who erected it in 1861. The mill has a capacity 
for grinding 500 bVishels of wheat per diem. For 
several years, the flour ground at this mill has 
secured the first prize at the county and local 
fairs. The Messrs. Cook are also the proprietors 
of an extensive shingle mill. At one time Mr. 
Thomas Cook represented the municipality in the 
Counties Council. Both gentlemen are members 
of the Methodist Church, staunch advocates of total 
abstinence, and public spirited citizens. 

M. K. EVERTTS. 

M. K. Evertts, of Easton s Corners, was born in 
1835. In 1856, he married Margaret M., daughter 
of Richard Wafer. Mr. Evertts is the son of Elisha 
A. Evertts, of Augusta, and grandson of R. Evertts, 
a U. E. Loyalist and an officer in the British army, 
also one of the first and most prominent citizens of 
Augusta. He was the first high constable appointed 
by the Justices in Quarter Sessions assembled, also 
serving the municipality as assessor, collector, and 
coroner, for twenty-one years. Elisha A. Evertts 
was born May 24th, 1800, and resides in the County 
of Dundas. 



The subject of this sketch since his settlement in 
Wolford has repeatedly represented the Township 
in the Counties Council. He is a live business 
man, doing at all seasons an extensive business 
in the purchase of farm products and stock. His 
success has been due to an energy which never 
tires, and a sterling integrity, by which he has won 
and retained the confidence reposed in him by his 
fellow citizens. 

HENRY MERRICK, M. P. P. 

Mr. Merrick is the son of Stephen Merrick, and 
the grandson of William Merrick, who was one of 
the first settlers at Merrickville, building mills there 
which subsequently gave the present name to the 
village. Henry Merrick was born at Merrickville, 
and for several years was engaged in the manu 
facture of woolen goods, but is at present in the 
mercantile business. In 1875, he was elected 
Deputy Grand Master of the Grand Orange Lodge 
for British America. He has also been a Deputy 
Grand Master of the Grand Black Chapter of 
Orangemen of British America, and is at present 
Grand Master of the Orange Order for Canada. 
He was first returned to Parliament for North 
Leeds and Grenville at the general election of 
187:, being re-elected in 1874. Mr. Merrick is a 
Liberal Conservative in politics, and since he 
became a member of the Legislative Assembly 
has taken a deep interest in promoting an Act for 
the incorporation of the Orange Society. 

CHARLES FERGUSON, M. P. 

The family from which Mr. Ferguson is descended 
emigrated from Drumgunnion, Leitrim, Ireland, and 
settled in the Township of Kitley, where the subject 
of this sketch was born, he being the son of Mr. 
Robert Ferguson. Mr. Ferguson studied medicine, 
and graduated at the University of Queen s College, 
Kingston, in 1859. He married Miss Bell, of Oxford, 
sister of the late Robert Bell, C. E., who represented 
the County of Russell in the Canadian Assembly 
previous to confederation. Dr. Ferguson was first 
returned to Parliament at the general election for 
1874. He was unseated on petition, but re-elected 
the same year. In 1878, he was again elected, his 
opponent being Francis Jones. As a medical gentle 
man, he commands an extensive practice over a 
large area of country in the vicinity of Kemptville, 
where he resides. 

Stephen s Creek received its name from the fact 
that Roger Stevens, a brother to Elder Abel Stevens, 
of Bastard, was drowned at its mouth, in 1795. 




RESIDENCE OF M. K. EVERTTS, EASTON S CORNERS. 




RESIDENCE OF MRS. COLONEL McCREA, EASTON S CORNERS 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



139 



CHAPTER XXXV. 

LEEDS AND LANSDOWNE FRONT. 

THE SETTLEMENT of the Township of Leeds is 
intimately connected with that of Gananoque, the 
village being the centre from which the new settlers 
proceeded to carve out homes in the forest. 

One of the first settlers was Oliver Landon, a 
United Empire Loyalist, from Litchfield, Connec 
ticut. From an account book which has been 
preserved, it is clear that Mr. Landon had settled 
in the Township as early as 1787. 

The following account of the Landon family is 
taken from the book above mentioned : 

"On March loth, 1776, Oliver Landon is 21 years 
of age. On August 25th, 1775, Aner Watkins is 21 
years of age. Oliver Landon married Aner Watkins 
May 2nd, 1776. Joseph, born April gth, 1777 ; Ben 
jamin, born November I3th, 1778 ; Oliver, Jr., born 
March 5th, 1780; William Henry, born August 6th, 
1782; Erastus, born October /th, 1784; Luther, 
born June gth, 1787 ; Daniel John, born December 
6th, 1792 ; Jessie, born February 22nd, 1796 ; and 
Simcoe, born August 3oth, 1799. Oliver s wife, 
Aner, died March i8th, 1800. On the ijth of Sep 
tember, i8oi,Mr. Landon married Mrs. Lois Loomis. 
Lois was the daughter of John Beech ; she was born 
at Goshen, Connecticut, May 27th, 1761." 

The following note appears in the book : 

"Arrived at Lansdowne November 5th, after 
twenty-one days travel with a wagon and span 
of horses, it being the first wagon that ever passed 
through the one hundred mile woods to Upper 
Canada." 

" Lois Landon, by second wife, born May 22nd, 
1803. Oliver Landon, Sr., died January 2gth, 1820. 
Lois Landon, died July 2oth, 1825." 

Among the patents granted for land at an early 
date, were the following : 



LAN SDO WNE ( Continued. . ) 



Name of Grantee. 




CJ 


Lot 
or 
Part of Lot. 


Date of Patent. 


William Webster 


II 


23 


Nov. 2gth, 1836 




12 


W Pt 9 


May 3rd, 1827 




12 


E 1-2 19 


Octb r 3oth, 1818 




12 


22 


April 5th, 1828 






B W 1-2 


Tune 2nd, 1828 


William Washburn \ 


11 


I 


June 3rd, 1834 


Sexton \Vashburn } 
Senica Washburn ) 
Tarvis Washburn ( 
B, 1,. ("hinman. . . 


13 

M 


2 
3 


March 3rd, 1837 
March 26th, 182? 



LEEDS. 



Name of Grantee. 



Toel D. Parmenter . 

John Gray 

S. E. Washburn 
John Birmingham. . 
James Birmingham, 
David Birmingham. 

John Struthers 

James Schofield 

Freeman Hicock. . . 
Abigail Crippen . . . 

John Niblock 

Samuel Kilborn 

Allen Curtis 

Arthur Niblock. . . . 



Lot 

or 
Part of Lot. 



E 1-2 4 

20 

10 

N W 1-4 2 
X E 1-4 2 
S E 1-4 I 

8 

13 

13 

i? 

E 1-2 21 

II and 12 
19 

21 




Date of Patent. 



June 28th, 
March 1 5th, 
Sept. 3Oth, 
June nth, 
June nth, 
July 2nd, 
April 3Oth, 
Decb r 6th, 
Octb r igth, 
July nth, 
April loth, 
Feb ry gth, 
Nov. 27th, 
April loth, 



1842 
1804 
1818 
1828 
1828 
1828 
1812 
1806 
1818 
1818 
1828 
1809 
1815 
1828 



LANSDOWNE. 


Name of Grantee. 




u 


Ixjt 
or 
Part of Lot. 


Date of Patent. 




2 
2 

2 

3 
4 

4 
4 
5 
5 
5 
5 
5 
S 

Q 


I and 2 

S 1-2 II 
12 

19 
E 1-2 23 

S W 1-2 24 
6 

23 
E 1-2 24 
W 1-2 9 
F. 1-2 9 

W 1-2 I 4 

E 1-2 14 

W 1-2 21 
24 
4 


April I3th, 1804 
Feb ry igth, 1807 
1804 








July 1 3th, 1803 
April 24th, 1824 
March 24th, 1830 
March 1st, 1803 
March 1st, 1803 
April I9th, 1824 
Fcb ry 251!], 1822 
Feb ry 25th, 1822 
April 1 5th, 1830 
April I5th, 1830 
May 28th, 1824 
Feb ry i6th, 1803 
May 24th, 1824 
























Ilcnrv Latimer. . . 



WILLIAM A. WEBSTER. 

Mr. Webster was born in Lansdowne, in March, 
1832, his father, Robert Webster, having emigrated 
to Canada from the County of Wexford, Ireland, in 
1820, and settled in the Fourth Concession of Lans 
downe. At the age of 23, Mr. Webster removed to 
California, where he remained for fifteen years, en 
gaging in quicksilver mining and the manufacture 
of agricultural implements. In 1872, he returned to 
Canada and settled on Lot No. 18, in the 4th Con 
cession of Lansdowne. In 1873, he became a member 
of the Township Council, becoming Reeve in 1877. 

THE ORANGE ORDER. 

Loyal Orange Lodge No. 26, is one of the oldest 
in Central Canada, having been organized upwards 
of fifty years. In 1872, it was re-organized and a 
new warrant issued. The hall is a neat frame 
building in Lansdowne Village. Officers for present 
year : J. A. Bradley, W. M. ; William Dixon, D. M. ; 
James Latimer, Secretary ; James Douglas, Trea 
surer. The Lodge numbers upwards of fifty. 

L. O. L. No. 100, was instituted in 1864, and has a 
membership of about fifty. 

Pince Albert Lodge O. Y. B., was instituted Oc 
tober 20th, 1876. The officers are N. Bowen. W. M. ; 
J. R. Johnston, D. M. ; F. Spidal, Secretary ; J. A. 
Bradley, Treasurer. Membership, about forty. 

J. A. BRADLEY. 

Mr. Bradley was born in Lansdowne, and is the son 
of Thomas Bradley, who emigrated from Ireland in 






140 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



1818. In 1862, Mr. Bradley was appointed Clerk of 
the Township, and in 1867, Post Master. Formerly 
a member of No. 5 Company, 42nd Battalion, he now 
holds the position of Major on the staff. 

In 1876, the members of the Methodist Church of 
Canada erected a neat frame church in Lansdowne 
Village. The building is S5 X 35 feet, the tower being 
surmounted by a spire one hundred and four feet in 
height. The present pastor is the Rev. J. C. Garret. 
Church officers : R. Latimer, J. Webster, J. Red 
mond, B. B. Warren, T. W. Bradley, W. McNeil. 

ST. JOHN S CHURCH. 
The members of the Church of England for 
several years worshipped in a plain stone building, 
situated about half a mile from the village ; this 
church was built in 1843, during the ministry of the 
late Rev. E Morris. In 1878, the present edifice, 
situated in the village, was erected. It is built of 
light colored stone, and is of the following dimen 
sions : nave, 50x30 feet ; chancel, 17x18 feet ; vestry, 
14x12 feet ; tower, 12x12. The seating capacity is 
two hundred and fifty. The Rev. Mr. Houston, 
B. A., is the present pastor. The Wardens are J. T. 
Deane, B. Young and S. Johnston. 

PRESBYTERIAN_CHURCH. 
This building is of plain stone ; capacity, three 
hundred sittings. At present there is no resident 
minister, the pulpit being supplied by clergymen 
from other places. 

METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 

The members of the Methodist Episcopal Church 
have at present no church edifice, the mission being 
a new one. Services are held by the missionary, the 
Rev. A. Shorts, who also ministers to congregations 
at Marble Rock, Killenbeck and other places. Mr. 
Shorts has invented a camp meeting tabernacle to 
supply the place of cottages. The device is very in 
genious, and can be manufactured so as to give acco- 
modation for from three hundred to three thousand 
people. 

The following list contains all the patents granted 
by the Crown for lands situated in the Township of 
Lansdowne, up to the 3tst day of December, 1802 : 


TOWNSHIP OF LANSDOWNE fCVv/tfww/.; 


c 
U 

2 

3 

4 

5 

IO 

II 

12 
13 


Lot. 


Name of Grantee. 


Part of Lot. 


tA 

fU 

u 

2OO 
2OO 

JOO 

300 

200 
2OO 
2OC 
>OO 
100 
}OO 
IOO 
}.OO 
200 
200 
2OO 
2OO 
IOO 
200 

2OO 
IOO 
2OO 
200 
2OO 

2ig 
2OO 


Date of Patent. 


i? 
18 

j} 

.n 

ii 

4 

12 
17 

18 

21 
21 
3-4 

9 
II 

7 
13 

4 
5 

10 

18 

19 

21 
21 

23 

Si 

ij 1,1 




All 
. All 
f All -1 

1 Wl-2 / 
\ El-2 j 

\ All i 
All 
All 
All 
All 

El-2 

All 

El-2 

All 

All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 

W 1-2 

All 
All 
All 

( W 1-2 ) 

i All ( 
All 


Mar. 10th, 1797 
June loth, 1801 

Sept. 4th, 1 800 

Xov. 2Oth, 1798 

Aug. loth, 1801 
Sept. 4th, 1800 
May 24th, 1798 
June jOth, 1801 
April 6th, 1797 
June 301)1, 1801 
May 1 7th, 1802 
Dec. 1st, 1797 
May 20th, 1801 
May 20th, 1801 
May 241!), 1798 
May 24th, 1798 
June 3Oth, 1801 
June 3Oth, 1 80 1 
May 1 7th, 1802 
May I7th, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 
May 24th, 1798 
[une 1 2th, 1798 
Xov. ?5th, 1802 

May 1 7th, 1802 
May I7th, 1802 


Joel Adams 










Philip Stoats 
Joel Stone 


Peter Cain 


Cataline Crookshank . 
Joseph Bissell 


Sabrah Wright 
\-iin Plate 


Thomas Dean 


Sarah Spencer 


Henry Mace.. 




Russell Lee. ......... 
William Caswell 
Lemuel Caswell 




Francis Stewart .... 
Amos M. Kenny 


Thomas Fraser 


Samuel Cross 


Alexander Campbell.. 


CHAPTER XXXVI. 

ESCOTT, 

THE following list contains all the patents granted 
by the Crown for lands situated in the Township, up 
to the 3ist day of December, 1802 : 


TOWNSHIP OF ESCOTT. 

BROKEN FRONT. 


<J 



I 



U 



M 

*| 


tt 

""E 
^o 

o 



Lot. 


Name o! Grantee. 


Part of Lot. 


t/i 

- 

<^ 


Date of Patent. 


I 

2 

4 
6 

9 
15 
9 

6 

1 I2 

20 

123 

\" 

I 14 
(23 




All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 

All 
All 
All 
All 

W 1-2 

All 
All 
All 


2OO 
2OO 
200 
200 
23* 
275 
275 

2CO 
2CO 
2CO 
2CO 
ICO 

2CO 
2CO 
2CO 


May ist, 1798 
May 1st, 1798 
May 1st, 1798 
May 1st, 1798 
May I7th, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 
May 171)1, 1802 

May 20th, 1801 
May 2it!i, 1801 
Mar. ist, 1797 
May I7th, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 

Dec. ist, 1797 
Aug. lotli, 1801 
April I4lh, 1798 






[iarriettc Sherwood. . . 








TOWNSHIP OF LANSDOWNE. 

EROKF.N I KuNI. 


Matilda Miller 




William Lame 


c Lot. Name of Granite. Part of Lot. " Date nf Patent. 
o " 
U < 


\\ illinm Lnruc 
Matthew \Y;Uson 


I 3-4 Susannah Jessup All 600 Sept. 4th, 1800 
6 7 Asahel Keys \!1 530 May 171)1, 1802 


10 Henry Hay All 200 Nov. 2oth, 1798 


Fiisha Mallory 


12 Charles Peebles E 1-2 loo May 241)1, 1798 
\->. Basil Rorison.. All iOO June TOth, 1801 





HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



141 



Among the grants made at a later date were the 
following : 



ESCOTT. 


Name of Grantee. 


Con. 
or 
Range 


Lot 
or 
Part of Lot. 


Date ]of Patent. 




2 

3 


8 
II 

15 

E 1-2 23 

24 
18 
E 1-2 23 

4 
8 and 9 

I/ 
E 1-2 19 

22 


Xov. 25th, 1803 
fan. 30lh, 1808 
"May iyth, 1802 
Feb. 20th, 1828 
May iglh, 1832 
May 151)1, 1840 
Feb. 22nd, 1828 
June nth, 1828 
Oct. 28th, 1835 
Mar. 2nd, 1805 
Sept. I3th, 1804 
Ian. I4th, 1820 






















Rebecca A very 



Prominent among the early settlers was William 
Larue, better known as Billa Larue. This poineer 
located at the mouth of the creek falling into the St. 
Lawrence, about four miles west of Mallorytown 
Landing, where the original Mallorys first landed. 
At the point selected, Mr. Larue constructed a dam 
across the ravine, and furnished himself with an ex 
cellent water power. He next built a mill, which 
was utilized by the British soldiers during the war 
of 1812. It is related that at one time Mr. Larue 
was compelled to walk barefooted all the way to 
Cornwall to secure enough leather to make a pair of 
shoes, that being the nearest point at which the de 
sired article could be obtained. The land upon 
which he located was broken by chains of hills, run 
ning parallel with the river and presenting almost 
insuperable obstacles to the agriculturist. Nothing 
daunted, he cleared away the original forest and 
planted apple, chestnut, walnut (sweet and English), 
and other trees, which have in considerable numbers 
spread along the river bank. At the present time it 
is not an uncommon thing to find among the second 
growth pines, here and there scattered about, an 
apple tree planted by the original pioneer. At the 
time of his death, it was currently reported that he 
was possessed of a very large sum of gold and silver, 
which he had buried for safe keeping. Be that as it 
may, he made no sign as to the location of the 
treasure when the hand of death was upon him, 
though strongly pressed to do so. 

Many years have passed away, the seeds of the 
pine have developed into nearly full grown trees, the 
original mill has crumbled into dust, but the legend 
remains, and many were tlrj anxious searches that 
followed for the hidden gold. Excavations have 
been made at all points surrounding the house 
in which he resided, and particularly in a certain 
direction, which came within the run go <>f his vision, 
while upon his last bed of sickness ; rumor saying 
that the point had been selected with that view. 



The following account of a midnight search for the 
treasure was related to the writer, several years 
since, by a gentleman who formed one of the part}-, 
and who, strange to say, implicitly believed that 
which he stated was absolutely true. The genera 
public will probably conclude that he was badly 
frightened. We give the account in the words of the 
narrator : 

" On a bright moonlight night, I, in company with 
three other men, left the Village of Mallorytown and 
proceeded to the vicinity of the old Larue mill, near 
the upper dam. We had provided ourselves with a 
witch-hazel divining rod, a goodly supply of shovels 
and picks ; in fact, all that was necessary for an en 
terprise of such a character. All were in the best of 
spirits, and as the night was charming, we proceeded 
to the vicinity of the house, where Billa had resided, 
determined, if possible, to probe the secret to the 
bottom. We were under the guidance of an elderly 
gentleman, who claimed to be an expert in such 
matters, and had carefully instructed all engaged as 
to their duties. One command was imperative, viz : 
that from the moment the spot was indicated by the 
divining rod, not a word was to be spoken, happen 
what might. A short distance west of the house is 
the family cemetety, and in that direction we cau 
tiously proceeded. The moon shone clear and 
bright through the pines on the overhanging cliff. 
Suddenly our director paused, the witch-hazel turned 
slowly in the direction of mother-earth. Retiring a 
few paces, our leader re-adjusted the rod and moved 
forward, with precisely the same result. Evidently 
the secret had been solved and we were about to 
become the happy possessors of the long sought 
gold. Striking a circle, having a radius of about 
twelve feet, we removed our coats and proceeded to 
dig. How long we continued I know not, so intent 
were we upon our task. Gradually the sky became 
overcast with clouds, one by one the stars faded 
away, the moon disappeared in the vault of night, 
the wind sighed mournfully through the pines, yet 
not a word was spoken ; darkness came down upon 
us like a great pall, our nearest co-laborer was only 
a spectre in the midnight gloom. Then came a rush 
of the blast through the overhanging trees, the blast 
was of icy coldness and penetrated the very marrow 
of our bones, though our bodies were bathed with 
sweat from our almost superhuman exertions. There 
was a trampling upon the earth in the distance, as if 
the guardian spirit of the treasure trove was mar 
shalling all his cohorts to hurl back the audacious 
invaders who had thus dared to desecrate his domains 
and snatch away the glittering coin confided to his 
care. The excavation which we had made was 
in shape, the centre being the lowest point, 



142 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



when suddenly there rang out clear and distinct in 
the night air, a sound which proclaimed that the 
pick had struck a metalic substance. A few shovels 
full of earth were thrown off, when with our hands 
we felt that we had struck upon what appeared to 
be a smooth flat stone or piece of metal ; we have 
always believed that it was metal from the ringing 
sound which it gave forth. 

" Redoubling our exertions, we removed the earth 
at one side, where we inserted a crow-bar, the point 
below resting upon some substance, which formed 
an excellent fulcrum, and which we concluded was 
the box containing the coveted treasure. With our 
united strength we slowly raised the covering, when 
in an instant we were surrounded by innumerable 
creatures, trampling up to the very edge of the 
circle. We could but indistinctly distinguish the 
forms of the new comers, but to my mind they 
appeared to be black cattle, and judging from the 
trampling, their number must have been thousands. 
We hesitated a great fear came upon us, which I 
cannot describe and, with a single impulse, we 
dropped the crow-bar, and ran for dear life. 
Beyond the house we came out of the ravine, near 
the new mill, where we paused. The moon was 
sailing majestically through an unclouded sky ; the 
stars shone as brightly as when we first entered 
upon our task. We paused and consulted, and at 
last concluded that imagination had got the better 
of our senses, and that we would return to our 
work. This we did. We found the excavation, the 
coats lying on the ground, the crow-bar, shovels 
and pick-axes, but not a sign of the flat stone or 
metalic covering at the bottom of the pit which we 
had dug. Our leader sorrowfully shook his head, 
and declared that future efforts would be of no 
avail, as the treasure had moved. We gathered our 
implements, and departed for Mallorytown, fully 
resolved that in the future other searchers were 
quite welcome to secure the hidden gold left by 
Billa Larue," 

Hugh Lynch, a stone mason, came to Canada in 
1835, from the County Cavan, Ireland. Removing 
to Lansdowne, he built a large number of stone 
houses for the Websters, and other prominent 
settlers. Mr. Lynch was assisted by his son Peter, 
who during the past twenty-five years has erected 
seventy-four stone and brick buildings in the 
United Counties. Were the buildings placed in a 
direct line in a city, with the necessary cross streets, 
they would make a frontage of three-quarters of a 
mile. 

MASONIC. 

Macoy Lodge, No. 24 A. F. and A M., was insti 
tuted in 1870, the charter being granted to R. 



Fields, W. Taylor, J. A. Bradley, and others. The 
members number upwards of fifty, meetings being 
held at the Escott Town Hall. The officers are 
active and conscientious members of the order, 
and the lodge is in consequence in a flourishing 
condition. 

The following is a summary of the assessment of 
the municipality for the year 1877 : 
Number of persons assessed, 365. 
Number of acres assessed, 24,270. 
Number of acres cleared, 12,949. 
Value of real property, $360,015. 
Value of personal property, $11,433. 
Amount of real and personal property, $371,448. 
Taxes imposed by Municipality, $804. 
Taxes imposed by Counties, $690. 



CHAPTER XXXVII. 
ELIZABETHTOWN. 

ACCORDING to the testimony of the late Adiel Sher 
wood, the first actual white settler in Elizabethtown 
was Mr. Sherwood s father. The settlement was 
located in the spring of 1784. The same brigade of 
boats that brought Mr. Sherwood up the St. Law 
rence, also conveyed the settlers at Cole s Ferry, who 
must have cut the first tree in that portion of the 
township a few days later than Mr. Sherwood 
located. The record of the municipality is inti 
mately connected with that of Brockville, which will 
be treated of in a subsequent chapter. 

On pages 15 and 16 will be found a table giving 
the names of the persons who received grants of 
land from the Crown, up to the 315! day of 
December, 1802. It includes such well known 
names as Sherwood, Booth, Jessup, Grant, Brown, 
Ferguson, Fulford, Elliott, Sparham, Cole, Clow, 
Mallory, Landon, Peterson, Snider, Jones, Mott, 
Breakenridge, Caswell, Gardiner, Campbell, Cole- 
man, Day, Church, Lamb, Curtis, Johns, Smith, 
Wing, Day, Manhard, McNish, Hagerman, Lehey, 
Shipman, McLean, Allen, Howard, Vanorman, 
Cornell, Mattice, Reid, Kilburn, Wolf, King and 
McNeil. 

The following is a summary of the assessment of 
Elizabethfown for the year 1877, and furnishes the 
most convincing evidence of the progress of the 
municipality since the arrival of the United Empire 
Loyalists, ninety-five years since : 

Number of acres assessed, 76,564. 

Number of acres cleared, 42,849. 

Total amount of real property, $97,874. 

Total amount of real and personal property, 
$1,424,806. 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



Number of persons from 21 to 60 years of age, 
1,764. 

Days of statute labor, 4,570. 
Persons in families, 4,183. 
Number of cattle, 5,284. 
Number of sheep, 3,913. 
Number of hogs, 1,257. 
Number of horses, 1,311. 
Number of persons assessed, 1,500. 
Taxes imposed by Municipality, $2,000. 
Taxes imposed by Counties, $3,200. 

C. M. CHURCH, LYN. 

This church, built of brick, has an area of 60x84 
feet, with a tower 12 feet square. It was erected in 

1857, and is situated on part of Lot No. 30, in the 
3rd Concession. The original site was a gift from 
Richard Coleman, Sr. The charge includes four 
congregations, viz., those of Lyn, Caintown, Mal- 
lorytown, and Rockfield. The total membership 
is 300, of whom 80 belong to the Lyn charge. 

PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, LYN. 

The Presbyterians commenced holding services 
at Lyn, about the year 1811. The present church 
was erected in 1872. It is built of stone, the 
style of architecture being Gothic. Cost, about 
$5,000. The sittings number 200, and the society 
includes the congregation at Caintown, as well 
as at Lyn. 

ST. JOHN S CHURCH, LYN. 

Through the efforts of the late James Coleman, 
assisted by a few other churchmen, funds were 
secured for the organization of an English Church 
at Lyn. The erection of the present church was 
commenced in 1860, Bishop Lewis, then Rector of 
Brockville, taking the deepest interest in the under 
taking, the good work being continued by the Rev. 
John Stannage, Rev. R. L. Jones, and the present 
rector, the Rev. Henry Austin. The building is of 
stone, Gothic style of architecture, and contains 
about 300 sittings. 

STAFFORD McBRATNEY. 

This gentleman was born in the County Down, 
Ireland, and emigrated to Canada with his parents 
in 1823, his father settling in Elizabethtown, where 
he purchased a very large farm. In 1856, Mr. Mc- 
Bratney was elected a Township Councillor, and in 

1858, Deputy Reeve for the municipality, holding 
that position until 1861. In 1865, he was elected 
Reeve. He has held the important office of Warden, 
and has long been regarded as one of the most 
efficient members of the Counties Council. A 
staunch supporter of the Conservative party, he 



has ever been actuated by a spirit of liberality 
which won for him many warm friends in the 
Reform ranks. 

THE MANHARD FAMILY. 

Among the earliest records of the District of 
Johnstown are notices of members of this family. 
William Manhard was born March 27th, 1777, and 
emigrated to Elizabethtown in 1784. Daniel Man- 
hard at an early date kept a store one mile back of 
Brockville, on a farm now known as the " Emery 
Place." David had five sons and three daughters. 
The sons were Peter, William, Henry, David, and 
George. Peter and George removed to the Western 
States ; Henry, William, and David settled in the 
vicinity of Brockville. 

William Manhard had five sons and five-daughters. 
Henry resides near Brockville ; William died in 
1878. Seaman, born in 1813, married a daughter of 
Daniel McCrea, of Lyn, in 1837, by whom he had 
eleven children ; his second wife is a daughter of 
the late George Murray Bates. 

JOHN EARL. 

The subject of this biography resides in the 6th 
Concession of Elizabethtown. He was born in June, 
1835 ; and married, in December, 1856, Ann, daugh 
ter of John Barnard, of the same township. He has 
six children, viz.: Reuben, born September i4th, 
1858 ; Albert Ernest, born April 24th, 1862 ; Adda 
Louisa, born September 25th, 1868 ; John, born 
June 26th, 1871 ; Jennie Maud, born October i4th, 
1874 ; and Ida May, born May 3ist, 1877. The 
residence shown in illustration was erected in 1877. 

THE FULFORD FAMILY. 

Jonathan Fulford, Jr., was born in Wallingford, 
Connecticutt, in 1771 ; and died in Elizabethtown, 
in 1834. His wife, Nancy, daughter of the late 
Nathaniel Brown, a U. E Loyalist, of New York, 
was born in 1780, and died in 1855. Jonathan, Jr., 
came to Canada with his parents when quite young, 
Jonathan, Sr., dying in 1829, at the residence of his 
grandson, at the advanced age of 90 years. He was 
a U. E. Loyalist, and was born in 1739, his wife 
being Thankful, a daughter of Phineas Doolittle, 
of Connecticut. Levius S. Fulford was born in 
1814, in the ist Concession of Elizabethtown. His 
father was Jonathan Fulford, Jr. In 1835, Levius 
married Phcebe L., daughter of the late Henry 
Elliott, by whom he had eight children. Mr. Ful 
ford is a hale and hearty old gentleman, and one of 
the oldest and most respected citizens of Elizabeth- 
town. 



144 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



THE SHIPMAN FAMILY ; 

AND 

NELSON SHIPMAX. 

Samuel Shipman, grandfather of Nelson Shipman, 
was born January lyth, 1764, and died in 1831. He 
was a native of New England, but at the close of the 
revolution removed to the vicinity of Brockville, re 
ceiving a grant of land as a U. E. Loyalist. He 
married in 1768, Catherine Elliott, daughter of a 
U. E. Loyalist. His first wife died in 1811 ; his 
second wife was Margaret Henderson, by whom he 
had one child, now the wife of Abel Coleman, of 
Ogdensburg. By his first wife he had twelve 
children, all of whom are dead. 

John Shipman, father of Nelson, was born in 
Yonge, May 27, 1787. He died September 6th, 
1867, aged So years. His wife, Fanny Whitmore, 
was born in Massachusetts, United States of 
America, March I2th, 1788, and died June 7th, 1854. 
They were the parents of seven children, two of 
whom are still living, viz., Nelson, and Catherine, 
wife of George Goodson, of Sarnia. 

Nelson Shipman resides on lot No. i, in the 2nd 
concession of Yonge, occupying a farm of 185 acres. 
He has been twice married ; his first wife was a 
daughter of the late John Mallory, of Yonge, one of 
the first settlers of the township ; his second wife 
being a daughter of the late Peter Purvis, also an 
original settler of the same Township. By his first 
wife, he had only one child, the children by the 
second marriage numbering seven, of whom six are 
living. Mr. Shipman is one of the most successful 
farmers in the municipality. The Shipman family 
is an extensive one, its members being among the 
leading citizens of Leeds County. 

THE STOWELL FAMILY, 

AND 

CVRENUS STOWELL. 

Oliver O. Stowell was born in Massachusetts, 
February igth, 1797. He came to Canada, and 
began teaching school at Lewis Corners (Addison) 
about forty-seven years ago. At that time, Ira 
Lewis, Esq., was keeping an hotel at the Corners. 
After teaching about four years, Mr. Stowell devoted 
his attention to farming, settling on Lot No. 36, in 
the 8th Concession of EHzabethtown. He married 
Harriet Ketchum, who died in 1843 , he subsequently 
married Abigail, a sister of his first wife. The fol 
lowing children were born to him by his first wife : 
Chorlotte, married Horace Brown ; Lucy, married 
Rufus Taplin ; Elizabeth, married Harvey Brown ; 
and Cyrenus, who married Ursula Phillips, adopted 
daughter of Daniel Phillips, Esq. The fruit of his 
second marriage was one son, Omsley O. Stowell, 



M. D., a graduate of Queen s College, now settled at 
Copenhagen, New York. 

Cyrenus Stowell is a successful agriculturist, his 
farm being a model of neatness and order in fact, 
second to none in the wealthy Township of Eliza- 
town. He has two children, Charles Mason and 
Edward Norman. 

JOHN H. LANE. 

Mr. Lane owns a farm of one hundred acres in the 
Third Concession of Elizabethtown. He was born 
in 1812, in the Township of Augusta, being the son 
of Cornelius Lane, who drew land inModoc Munici 
pality for military services rendered in the war of 
1812. The latter died forty years since, never having 
removed from Augusta ; his wife, Catherine, died in 
1860, aged seventy years. James Lane, the father of 
Cornelius Lane, was of Irish descent and a United 
Empire Loyalist from the Mohawk Valley ; he died 
in 1817, aged 75 years. His place of residence was 
one and a-half miles back of the old Blue Church, 
Augusta. John H. Lane married in 1837, Mary, 
daughter of the late Abraham Knapp, of Augusta. 
Mr. Lane has raised a family of eight children. Mr. 
Knapp was the son of a U. E. Loyalist, Joseph 
Knapp, who originally emigrated from England to 
the United States, removing to Canada at the close 
of the revolution. The following are the names of 
the children of John H. Lane : Hiram B., born 
1840, resides in Oregon ; Abraham, born in 1843 ; 
Minerva, born in 1845, married Truman Hayes ; 
Rufus, born in 1847 ; Mary M., born in 1850, married 
James Munroe ; Rachel C., born in 1853. Mr. Lane 
has devoted his energies to farming, residing for 
many years in Augusta and removing to his present 
location in 1864. Mr. Lane spent two years and 
a-half of his life in the Australian gold mines from 
1853 to 1855. James Lane, grandfather of John H., 
had five children, all of whom settled in the United 
Counties ; they were : James, Henry, John, Rebecca 
and Polly. 

THE COLE AND CLOW FAMILIES. 

In the year following that in which England 
formally acknowledged the independence of the 
United States, Adam Cole, a United Empire 
Loyalist who had seen strvice under the British 
flag, embarked with his wife, Thankful, and all 
his worldly goods, for Canada. Mr. Cole was 
accompanied by his wife s brothers, Jonathan 
and Abel Fulford. Coming up the St. Lawrence, 
they landed at the spot now known as Buell s Bay, 
at the foot of Home Street, Brockville, and pitched 
their tents, but not liking the quality of the soil, 
which was very rocky, they proceeded up the river 
to a point now known as Cole s Ferry, where Adam 




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HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



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Cole felled the first tree cut by a white man in that 
part of Elizabethtovvn. 

During the season of 1784, the settlement was 
increased by the arrival of William Clow, another 
U. E. Loyalist. To the west, the nearest neighbors 
were settled at Kingston ; to the east, at Johnstown, 
with the exception of Thomas Sherwood, who settled 
on Lot No. i, Elizabethtown, the same year. Mr. 
Cole, a few years after his arrival, erected a saw mill 
on the subsequent site of Yonge Mills. He also 
built a frame house a short distance from his 
original log shanty, keeping tavern in the new 
building for eighteen years. The tavern was a 
general headquarters for the soldiers in that section 
during the War of 1812-15. The building is yet 
standing, and is at present occupied by Peter 
McLaren. 

Mr. Cole s family, in 1812, consisted of his wife 
and the following children : Sarah, born January 
i6th, 1785; Rachael, born September 3oth, 1786; 
Peter, born March 8th, 1788 ; Lois, born June 8th, 
1789; Titus, born August nth, 1790; John, born 
November 3oth, 1791 ; Jonathan, born October 28th, 
1793; George,born February nth, 1795 ; Isaac, born 
March loth, 1796; Jacob, born April roth, 1798; 
Eleanor, born November 26th, 1799 ! Irene, born 
April 3rd, 1801 ; Adam, born September 26th, 1802 ; 
Nancy, born December 29th, 1803 ; Abel, born 
December I4th, 1805 ; Thankful, born March 2nd, 
1808. In addition to the above, four children died 
in infancy, making the number of children born to 
Mr. Cole twenty. Adam Cole died August 3rd, 
1832, aged 72 years. His wife survived him until 
1840, dying in the 74th year of her age. 

Five of the sons served in the War of 1812, Peter, 
the oldest, holding the rank of captain, and being 
present at the capture of Ogdensburg. But one son 
survives in 1879, viz., Abel Cole, of Brockville, father 
of W. H. Cole, M. P. P. for Brockville Riding. It is 
related of Peter Cole, that about the year 1810, he 
walked from Cole s Ferry to Kingston, where he 
received the mail from Toronto, and carried it on 
his back to Montreal, through the woods. At Mon 
treal he received the mail, which had been accumu 
lating one month (weight 60 Ibs.), proceeded with 
his burden to Kingston, and returned to Cole s 
Ferry, making the round trip, a distance of 430 
miles, in fourteen days. The tramp was made in 
the month of March, when walking was very 
difficult in the forest. Mr. Cole was paid by the 
government of the day $15 for his arduous under 
taking. 

The family of William Clow, who settled at Cole s 
Ferry soon after the arrival of Mr. Cole, consisted of 
the following children : Rebecca, born May i2th, 



1785 ; Sophia, born October ist, 1786 ; Peter, born 
February i2th, 1788; William Jr., born July 24th, 
1790 ; James, born July 2ist, 1792 ; John, born May 
25th, 1794 ; Henry, born March ist, 1796 ; Ann, born 
January nth, 1798 ; Jane, born August 6th, 1799 ; 
Duncan, born December i7th, 1801 ; Robert, born 
December 5th, 1803 ; Sarah, born July 5th, 1806 ; 
David, born November I2th, 1808. 

When Mr. Clow and his wife landed at Cole s 
Ferry in 1784, their property consisted of an axe, a 
log canoe and two iron kettles. In the following 
spring Mr. Clow tapped some maple trees, stored 
the sap in the canoe and boiled it down in the iron 
pots. At the expiration of two years, Mr. Clow and 
Mr. Cole jointly purchased a cow in Montreal. Mr. 
William Clow, grandson of William Clow, Sr., mar 
ried the grand daughter of Adam Cole, Sr., and re 
sides in a house standing on the site of the original 
log cabin built by Adam Cole, Sr. 

WIT MOT H. COLE, M. P. P. 

Mr. Cole is the son of Abel Cole and the grandson 
of Adam Cole. He was born at Brockville, February 
1 6th, 1834, where he received his education. He 
married Jane Adelaide, youngest daughter of the 
late Abraham Phillips, of New York. Taking a deep 
interest in the defence of Canada, he joined the 
volunteer militia force in 1855, and is now a Lieut 
enant-Colonel, commanding the 4ist Battalion, 
Brockville. For many years a member of Brock 
Lodge, I. O. O. F., he was in 1875, elected Grand 
High Priest of the Grand Encampment. In 1874, he 
was returned by Brockville Riding as a member of 
the Legislative Assembly for Ontario. 

Abel Fulford, Adam Cole s father-in-law, was 
proceeding to join Burgoyne s army, when the 
intelligence reached him that Burgoyne had been 
compelled to surrender. Mr. Fulford at once 
departed for Canada, where he was joined by his 
family. He took up land near Cole s Ferry, the 
farm being at present occupied by his grandson, 
Levins. Mr. Fulford s family consisted of Jonathan, 
Abel, Luke, Isaac, and Titus. A barn is yet stand 
ing on the farm of Levius Fulford which is said to 
have been erected in 1787. It was probably one of 
the first frame buildings put up in Leeds Counf". 
The shingles, which were three feet in length, 
remained in use until 1876. When the shingles, 
were removed, the following inscription, written 
in charcoal, was found on the roof boards : " This, 
barn was built in 1787." 

THE McCRADYS. 

At the close of the Revolution, David McCrady, 
with his wife and three sons, built a boat at 
Schenectady, New York, proceeded up the Mohawk 



146 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



River, and, after a long and perilous journey, 
arrived at Oswego. The emigrants sailed down 
the lake and river, until they reached a place 
owned by Captain Grant, and now known as St. 
Lawrence Park. This was in the year 1793. The 
family finally settled just above the old toll-gate at 
the west end of Brockville. John McCrady, the 
father of A. G. McCrady, settled on the main road 
from Brockville to Lyn, David J. located above Lyn, 
while Anthony occupied the homestead. John, 
David, and Anthony served in the War of 1812. 

COLEMAN LEWIS, 

AND 

THE LEWIS FAMILY. 

At an early age, Ira Lewis ran away from home, 
his parents residing in Connecticut. At the time of 
his departure, the boy was without money, and had 
no settled idea as to his destination. When he set 
out on his travels, he found a horse shoe, which 
he sold for twelve and a half cents. This sum he 
invested in a boy s lottery, and fortunately drew 
the highest prize, $i. With this mine of wealth, 
he journeyed to Ogdensburg, New York, a distance 
of 200 miles. After remaining in Ogdensburg a 
few years, he proceeded to Brockville, and from 
there to Lyn, where he opened a shoe shop (having 
learned the trade in Ogdensburg.) While a resident 
of Lyn, he married Phcebe Coleman. Not being 
contented with the village, he removed to Brock 
ville, but soon returned again to Lyn, where he 
resided until 1824. During the year 1824, he 
purchased land at the point where the present 
village of Addison is located, removed to that 
place, and for many years carried on a shoe shop, 
farm and inn. During the War of 1812, he entered 
the British service, and subsequently received a 
pension for his patriotic conduct. 

Mr. Lewis eldest son, Wellington, married Cor 
delia Wilson. Coleman married Melinda Taplin ; 
he is one of the most successful merchants in 
the County of Leeds, having conducted the mer 
cantile business at Phillipsville, and also at Addison, 
where he resides, carrying on a general store and a 
large farm. Two of his sons are also engaged in 
commercial pursuits : Levi S., at Newboro , and 
Charles H., at Brockville. Mr. Lewis residence is 
an elegant brick structure, a view of which is given 
in this work. Sarah Lewis married Mr. Adams, of 
Oxford. Ira, Jr., married Julia Dwight, a grand 
daughter of President Dwight of Yale College, 
Ira being a graduate of that University and a 
barrister. He practices his profession at Goderich, 
Ontario. William H. married Angelina Gates ; 
Mary Louisa, married Alfred Nelscr, of the Canada 



Land Company, Toronto. We learned from Ira 
Lewis, Sr., that the first house built in Farmersville 
was a log tavern, which was kept by a man named 
Dickson. 

THE HAYES FAMILY. 

Eri Hayes, Sr., was born in Connecticut, December 
6th, 1780, his parents being Ashael and Anna Hayes. 
In 1796, Eri removed to Canada, and in 1805 he 
settled on Lot No. 32, in the 6th Concession ofEliza- 
bethtown ; he afterwards purchased thirty-five acres 
at the place known as Hayes Corners (Glen Buell.) 
Mr. Hayes married Anne, daughter of David Derby 
shire. In 1807, the parents of Mr. Hayes came to 
Elizabethtown, locating on Lot No. 30, in the 5th 
Concession. Eri died in 1839, his wife surviving 
until 1860. His family consisted of the following 
children : Eri, Jr, born January 24th, 1808, married 
Betsey, daughter of Benoni Wiltse ; Carmi, born in 
1810, married Mary, daughter of Neil Palmer; he 
died at Grand Rapids in 1876 ; Daniel, born in 1811, 
married Deborah, daughter of Daniel Wing ; Ira, 
born in 1815, died in 1844; Chauncy, born in 1816, 
married a daughter of William Knowles. 

Joseph Hayes was born May loth, 1818 ; he re 
sides on the homestead. In 1839, he married Thank 
ful, daughter of Gardiner Lee, by whom he has had 
five children. Mrs. Hayes dying in 1850, Mr. Hayes 
married for his second wife, Emily, daughter of the 
late Rosewell Rowley, of Elizabethtown. Mr. Hayes 
family consisted of the following children : Ervin, 
who died in Michigan in 1874, leaving a widow and 
two children ; Eri, Jr., born in 1844, married Louisa, 
daughter of John Cummings, of Elizabethtown ; 
William, born in 1846, resides in Michigan ; Charles, 
born in 1848, married a daughter of James Cum 
mings, of Lansdowne ; Emeline, born in 1850, 
married Solomon Rowley, of Elizabethtown. 

Eri Hayes, Sr., had the following daughters : 
Sarah married Albert Blanchard ; Orilla resides in 
Iowa. 

WILLIAM FITZSIMMONS, M. P. 

William Fitzsimmons was born in the County of 
Donegal, Ireland, and came to Canada when a child, 
with his parents, in 1823. His father, who served in 
the gth Light Dragoons in Spain and Portugal dur 
ing the Peninsular War, was severely wounded in 
one of the engagements, and retired from the British 
army, after fourteen years and six months active 
service, with an honorable discharge, and a pension 
which he drew up to the time of his death. Emi 
grating to Canada in the year above mentioned, he 
settled in Perth, County of Lanark, where he lived 
for twenty-seven years. In 1851, he removed to 
Brockville, living with his son William (the subject 




RESIDENCE OF HENRY PALMER. TOWNSHIP OK BASTARD. 




RESIDENCE OF GOLEMAJ^ LEWIS, ADD is ON. 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



147 



of this sketch) until his death in 1 86 1, at the advanced 
age of 95 years. 

William Fitzsimmons, at an early age, went to the 
District Grammar School, studying under Mr. John 
Stewart (late of Stratford), and Mr. Benjamin Tett, 
of Newboro, where he remained until he was eleven 
years of age. He was then removed to a private 
school taught by the late Judge Wilson, and at the 
age of twelve left to enter the employment of Mr. 
Malcolm McPherson, at that time the principal 
builder and contractor in Perth, remaining with 
him until he was eighteen, and from whom he 
received very nattering testimonials, After working 
in Ogdensburg, Kingston, and other places, he 
finally settled in Brockville in 1841, where he has 
carried on business as a builder and contractor 
successfully up to this time. 

He was an active member of the Board of School 
Trustees for eleven years, during which time he took 
a deep interest in education. In connection with 
Mr. David Wylie and the late Dr. Reynolds, these 
efforts were crowned by the erection of the well 
appointed Victoria school house, a substantial two- 
story stone building, taking the place of the old, 
ill-ventillated, and wretched rooms used for several 
years previous. 

He is a prominent member of the Independent 
Order of Odd Fellows, and one of the oldest in the 
jurisdiction, having become a member of Brock 
Lodge No. 9 at the time it. was established in 
Brockville, in 1846. He has always taken a lively 
interest in the order, and has filled almost every 
position in the lodge and encampment. He has 
served as representative to the Grand Lodge for 
several years, and in 1875, received the highest 
honor that body could confer, by being elected 
Grand Master. He remains an active member of 
the fraternity. 

Mr. Fitzsimmons has always taken an active part 
in the prosperity of the town. He was a director 
and warm supporter for several years of the 
Mechanics Institute, of which he was president for 
two years ; and an officer of the fire brigade for a 
long period. For several years he was connected 
with the volunteer force, having joined the Brock 
ville Rifles when organized by Captain Smythe, 
in 1855. 

Mr. Fitzsimmons has always been a staunch Con 
servative, and has taken a leading part in politics for 
the last thirty years. In 1847, he was elected a 
member of the Town Council, known then as the 
Board of Police, and of which the Hon. W. B. 
Richards, now Sir W. B. Richards, ex-Chief Justice, 
was then a member. Since then he has filled a scat 
at the Council Board for thirteen years eight years 



as Mayor, and five of which he has been elected by 
acclamation. 

He represented Brockville eight years in the 
Ontario Legislature, contesting the riding with the 
Hon. C. F. Fraser in 1867, defeating that gentleman 
after a spirited contest, and in 1871 was re-elected 
in a close contest with J. D. Buell, Esq. In 1875, he 
again ran, but was defeated by Mr. W. H. Cole, the 
bounderies of the constituency having been altered. 
In 1878, he became the member of the House of Com 
mons for Brockville Riding, defeating Col. J. D. 
Buell. 

JACOB DOCKSTADER BUELL. 

Mr. Buell is the youngest son of the late William 
Buell, of the 7th Leeds Militia, who held the medal 
with clasps for the battle of Crysler s Farm, 1813, 
and was one of the representatives for the County 
of Leeds in the Upper Canada Assembly from 1828 
to 1836 (having been thrice elected); and grandson 
of the late William Buell, a United Empire Loyalist 
and an officer of the King s Rangers, who represented 
the County of Leeds in the Upper Canada Assembly 
from 1801 to 1804. Jacob Dockstader was born at 
Brockville, October 4th, 1827, receiving his education 
at the Public and Grammar Schools. He first mar 
ried Susan Chaff ey, of Pittsburg, U. S.; she died in 
December, 1857. In 1861, he married Margaret 
Sophia, fourth daughter of the late Rev. Edmund J. 
Senkler, M. A., formerly of Docking, Norfolk, Eng 
land. Mr. Buell was called to the Bar of Upper 
Canada at Michelmas Term, 1854. He is Lieutenant 
Colonel of the 42nd Battalion, Brockville, and a 
Master in Chancery. Taking a deep interest in 
militia matters, he has held a seat in the Council of 
the Dominion Rifle Association, and has been for 
many years Mayor of Brockville. In 1871, he con 
tested Brockville Riding for a seat in the Legislative 
Assembly for Ontario, but was defeated. In 1872, 
he became the member of the House of Commons 
for the same constituency, being re-elected in 1874. 
In 1878, he was again the Liberal candidate, but 
was defeated by Mr. Fitzsimmons. 

THE EARL FAMILY. 

Robert Earl was born in 1785, and at an early 
date came to Augusta, but subsequently removed 
to Elizabethtown, settling on Lots Nos. 19 and 20, 
in the 6th Concession, where he died in 1840. 

Reuben Earl, Sr., was born in May, 1802, and in 
1828, he married a daughter of the late Increase 
Smith, of Elizabethtown, by whom he had four 
children, viz.: Milissa, John, Robert, and Reuben, 
Jr. Mr. Earl was appointed a Justice of the Peace, 
and held the office for upwards of thirty years, 
di^-harging the duties which devolved upon him 



148 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



with conscientious zeal. He died in January, 1876, 
sincerely mourned by many friends. 

Robert Earl was born in 1837, and is one of the 
most enterprising farmers in the municipality, taking 
a deep interest in agricultural matters. Mr. Earl 
was married in 1856, and has a family of two 
children. 

Reuben Earl, Jr., was born in 1840, and now 
occupies the homestead. 



CHAPTER XXXVIII. 

MISCELLANEOUS AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 

THE STRUTHERS FAMILY. 

JAMES STRUTHERS was a Sergeant-Major in the 
Royal Artillery, and came to Canada at the close 
of the American Revolution. He removed to Leeds 
County in the year 1800, together with his brother 
John, both settling in the Rear of Leeds. Mr. 
Struthers was for several years in the employ of 
William Wells, the leading lumber merchant at 
that time. In 1812, he enlisted in the Marines at 
Kingston, and being well acquainted with the St. 
Lawrence, assumed an important command on the 
gunboat Spit Fire, which was on duty between 
Prescott and Kingston. He was present during 
the unsuccessful attack upon Ogdensburg, made 
under a brigade of boats, and also at the capture, 
when the troops crossed on the ice. Subsequently 
he was taken prisoner, the gunboat and a brigade 
of batteaux being captured by the Americans at 
Simmon s Point, above Brockville. His captors 
conveyed him to Greenbush, L T nited States, where 
he languished in prison for nine months, but finally, 
with several companions, made his escape, and 
travelled by night through Vermont, finally reaching 
Lower Canada. His next appointment was that of 
conductor of batteaux from Montreal to Kingston, 
in which capacity he served until the close of the 
war. He then married, and settled in Lansdowne, 
where he died at the age of 80. His services were 
rewarded by a grant of 500 acres of land from the 
Government under the administration of Governor 
Simcoe. 

A. A. WRIGHT. 

Among the successful young men of the County of 
Leeds, Mr. Wright deserves an honorable place. 
Born near Farmersville, June 6th, 1840, the subject 
of this sketch received his rudimintary education at 
the public and also a select school kept by John B. 
Holmes. After teaching school for some months, 



Mr. Wright entered the Normal School at Toronto 
in 1864, receiving a first-class certificate ; he then 
became the Head Master of the Gananoque Public 
School. In 1865, he proceeded to Berthier-en-haut, 
near Montreal, where he studied the French langu 
age ; the following year he entered the Military 
School at Montreal, obtaining a first-class military 
certificate of the highest "grade. The next step 
taken resulted in securing a first-class Model School 
certificate for French and English for Lower Canada. 
In 1866, Mr. Wright became Principal of the Model 
School at Lachine ; while at that place he organized 
a company of volunteers, receiving the appointment 
of captain, a position which he held until his re 
moval to Renfrew, Ontario, where he entered into 
the mercantile business in 1870. In 1871, Mr. Wright 
married Jane Harvey, of Lachine, and at present re 
sides in Renfrew, where he conducts an extensive 
business and, has won for himself a handsome com 
petency. 

EDWARD S. THOMAS. 

Mr. Thomas was born October 71!], 1801, in the 
Township of Augusta, his father being Samuel P 
Thomas, of United Empire Loyalist stock. In early 
life, Mr. Thomas pursued the calling of a farmer, but 
subsequently engaged in the mercantile business at 
Mallorytovvn, carrying on a general store for up 
wards of twenty years, from 1832. Discontinuing 
business, he devoted his entire attention to farming. 
In October, 1834, he married Miss M. Mallory, 
daughter of Jeremiah Mallory. She died in March 
1862, leaving no issue. Mr. Thomas is one of the 
wealthiest citizens in the United Counties, and con 
tributed in the most liberal manner towards the 
erection of the new Methodist Episcopal Church at 
Mallorytovvn. In fact, without his generous assist 
ance the projected building could not have been 
erected. Being adverse to public life, Mr. Thomas 
has always pursued "the noiseless tenor of his way " 
as a respected private citizen. 

HIRAM NORTON. 

This gentleman for many years occupied a very 
prominent position in the County of Grenville. 
Originally from Vermont, he arrived in Prescott 
with an axe on his shoulder, and not a cent in his 
pocket. He married the daughter of Mr. Morey, 
of Augusta, and at once opened a carriage shop. 
In company with Mr. Dickinson, he started a line 
of stages from i i to Toronto. He was elected 

a member of the Upper Canada Parliament for the 
County of Grenville. During the Rebellion he 
removed to Lockport, Illinois, where he acquired 
a very large fortune. 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



149 



DOCTOR HENDRY. 

The subject of this sketch was born June i3th, 
1838, in the Township of Yonge. After receiving 
an elementary education, Mr. Hendry taught school 
for some time. He then entered the Grammar 
School at Farmersville, where he prepared for 
matriculation at the University of Queen s College, 
Kingston, special instruction being received from 
Dr. J. G. Giles. Graduating at that distinguished 
seat of learning in 1869, Dr. Hendry removed to 
Zilwaukie, Michigan, where he had previously 
practiced some months as an undergraduate. The 
Canadian doctor now holds a leading position in 
that portion of the State, having been elected 
President of the Saginaw County Medical Society, 
Superintendent of Public Schools, and to other im 
portant offices of trust and emolument. In 1873, 
Dr. Hendry married Mary, daughter of the late 
David Simpson, of Elizabethtown. 

WILLIAM RIDDEL. 

Mr. Riddel was a native of Jedburgh, Scotland. 
He emigrated to Canada in 1821, settling on Lot 
No. 8, in the ist Concession of South Elmsley, 
where he resided for many years, being among 
the early pioneers of that mnnicipality. He died 
in 1878, in the State of Minnesota. 

LIEUTENANT-COLONEL DAVID WYLIE. 

David \Vylie, for nearly thirty years editor of the 
BROCKVILLE RECORDER, now Lieutenant-Colonel and 
Paymaster of Militia District No. 4, was born in the 
Village of Johnstone, Abbey Parish of Paisley, Scot 
land. His father was a great reader, and this fact 
gave a cast to the son s mind, for while a mere child 
he would sit by his father s side and read what 
ever books were furnished, while he otherwise 
stocked his mind with the songs and ballads of his 
own country. At the age of fourteen the subject of 
this sketch was apprenticed for seven years to Mr. 
Stephen Young, of Paisley, to learn the printing 
business. He commenced his apprenticeship in 
January, 1826. In about three years and six months 
after, Mr. Young gave up business, when Mr. Wylie s 
indenture was transferred to the University Printing 
Office, Glasgow, where he took lessons in Latin and 
French, and also in stenography. On completion 
of his apprenticeship, he visited Edinburgh. A short 
time after, he was engaged on the Greenock Adrer- 
tiser, where he remained between three and four 
years. It was while in Greenock that he wrote his 
first locals, and also two or three short stories for 
the columns of the Advertiser. John Gait, Esq., the 
author, was at the time residing as an invalid in 
Greetr>ck, and Mr. Wylie was greatly pleased (>> 



hear the merits of his stories discussed, and the 
authorship ascribed to Mr. Gait. Mr. Wylie after 
wards removed to a situation on the Glasgow 
Guardian. At the end of eighteen months, he took 
a situation on the Liverpool Mail, where he acted 
as local reporter and proof reader. He remained 
on the Mail for about eight years, when he went to 
Manchester, and was engaged on the Anti Corn Law 
Circular, published under the supervision of Messrs. 
Cobden, Bright, and other eminent gentlemen. The 
publication of the paper having been removed to 
London, Mr. Wylie returned to Scotland, and took 
charge of the Fife Herald office, in the town of 
Cupar. The Herald was edited by the late Mr. 
Russell, of the Edinburgh Scotsman. While here, 
he published the tale of " The Life of a Convict, 1 
from notes furnished by the mate of the vessel in 
which the convict sailed to the United States. He 
also published several poems in the Herald. While 
there, he received an offer from Mr. J. C. Becket, of 
Montreal, to come to Canada, and take charge of 
Mr. Becket s office. This offer he accepted, and 
arrived in Canada in 1845, when the subject of 
Responsible Government was being warmly dis 
cussed. From early conviction, Mr. Wylie took the 
side of Responsible Government, and wrote several 
letters on the subject to the Fife Herald. He 
remained with Mr. Becket till 1849, when he 
accepted a situation as parliamentary reporter for 
the Montreal Herald. While here, he also wrote 
various pieces for publication in the daily papers 
and the Garland, a monthly magazine. He con 
tinued reporting till the parliament buildings were 
burned, when he arranged to come to Brockville and 
take charge of the RECORDER. One bit of work Mr. 
Wylie feels proud of. After the buildings were 
burned a " call of the Upper House" was made. The 
report occupied eighteen columns of the Herald, all 
written by Mr. Wylie with the exception of one speech 
furnished by a French member. At the close of the 
session, the House voted Mr. Wylie $50, as a mark 
of their appreciation of his services. 

Mr. Wylie edited the RECORDER for many years 
with distinguished ability, making that journal one 
of the ablest local newspapers in the Province. A 
staunch Reformer, his influence was always cast in 
favor of increasing the liberties of the people and 
! curtailing the powers of the Crown, within proper 
constitutional limits. In the establishment of the 
KVKNINC. RECORDER, he demonstrated that old age 
had not weakened his energies and that he was pre 
pared to keep abreast of the times, which demand 
the very latest news from all quarters of the globe. 

Mr. Wylie s earliest recollections are connected 
with what are now known as the Radical times " 



15 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



in Scotland, and the political persecutions of 1820. 
The spy system introduced by the tyrannical govern 
ment sent many innocent parties to prison. Rich 
mond, the principal of the spy department, had his 
emissaries among the people. These wretches deceit 
fully led men to give expression to their feelings 
against the government ; the names were then for 
warded to the officials, and imprisonment or trans 
portation followed. Soldiers marched through the 
streets, while house to house examinations were made 
in search for " Radical pikes," and woe to the man in 
whose house an old rusty sword or bayonet was 
found. No one dared express an opinion in opposi 
tion to the Government, and all known to do 
so were imprisoned or hunted out of the country. 
Freedom of speech there was none. Amid such 
scenes Mr. Wylie s early political principles were 
laid. He ran in opposition to Dr. Church for North 
Grenville, but was defeated, the constituency being 
thoroughly Conservative. 

Just after the Confederation of the Provinces was 
completed, Mr. Wylie published a small volume of 
poems under the title of "Waifs from the Thousand 
Islands." These were well received by the press. 
In 1870, he visited his native country and was en 
gaged by the Provincial Government to bring the 
subject "Canada as a Field of Immigration" before 
the people of Scotland. In this he was very success 
ful. He wrote a series of twelve letters, besides 
other special correspondence, on the subject in the 
Glasgow Herald, a paper enjoying at that time a 
circulation of 36,000 daily. Mr. Wylie gave four 
months of his time gratuitously, as he was only re 
munerated for his actual outlay his labor being 
given gratis. In 1875, he desired to withdraw from 
the responsibility and care attendant or, editing and 
publishing a paper. He, however, had started the 
EVENING RECORDER, and sunk some money in the un 
dertaking. In September of 1875, however, he sold 
out to Leavitt & Southworth, Mr. Leavitt having 
taken charge of the editorial department in the 
month of April preceding, when Mr. Wylie was ap 
pointed Paymaster of Militia, District No. 4, having 
the rank of Major, but was a short time afterward 
made honorary Lieutenant-Colonel. He has always, 
since being a member of Captain Lyman s Com 
pany of Rifles in Montreal, taken a warm interest in 
the volunteer movement. He passed through the 
grades of Private, Corporal, Lieutenant, Captain and 
Major, and now rests as Lieutenant-Colonol and Pay 
master. He has been thirty years a School Trustee, 
being many years Chairman of the Board. He has 
also served several years as a member of the Town 
Council. His whole life has been one of activity and 
usefulness. He deserved far more acknowledgment 
than he has received from the Government. 



SENATOR BROUSE. 

William Henry Brouse, M. A., M. D., was born at 
Matilda, on the banks of the St. Lawrence, in the 
year 1824. He is the second son of the late Lieut 
enant-Colonel Jacob Brouse, a descendant of one of 
the U. E. Loyalist families who first settled in the 
County of Dundas. Reared upon a farm, when 
young, he attended the common schools in winter 
and worked in the fields during seed time and the 
harvest. His father, realizing the want of a good 
education himself, determined to give his children 
the best literary advantages his means would afford, 
accordingly gave them the privilege of an education 
at our Canadian Universities. Dr. Brouse was sent 
to Cobourg, a student at Victoria College. He was 
very successful and left with the highest honors. 
His class-mates were the Rev. S. S. Nellis, D. D., now 
President of the same University, the Rev. William 
Ormiston, D. D., the celebrated Divine of New York, 
John George Hodgins, L. L. D., Assistant Superin 
tendent of Education for Ontario, the late Judge 
Springer, of Hamilton, James L. Biggar, Esq., M. P., 
East Northumberland, and Hon. William McDougall, 
M. P. The Degree of M. A. was obtained at 
Victoria College. His medical studies were pursued 
in Toronto, under the immediate instruction of the 
late Hon. Dr. Rolph, after which he proceeded to 
Montreal and obtained the Degree of M. D. from 
McGill College, in the spring of 1847. In the same 
year, he was appointed by the government to take 
charge of an hospital of emigrants on Point Iroquois, 
where he attended three hundred sick with typhoid 
fever, known as the emigrant fever. His former 
tutor, Dr. Rolph, offered him a partnership to induce 
him to go to Toronto, and some years afterward, as a 
further inducement, had him appointed Professor of 
Surgery in the Toronto School of Medicine but Dr. 
Brouse at the time not being robust, at the request 
of his friends, settled in Prescott, where he has since 
practiced his profession. Hemarriedin 1857, Fanny 
A. Jones, daughter of the late Alpheus Jones, Esq., 
Post Master and Collector of Customs for that town. 
He is surgeon of the 56th Battalion, is a member of 
the Senate and Board of the University of Victoria, 
is the Managing Medical Director of the Toronto 
Life and Tontine Company, was appointed member 
of the Medical Examining Board for Upper Canada 
as far back as 1849, has been elected, by the united 
vote of the physicians, a member of the Medical 
Council for Ontario, at the elections for 1866, 1869 
and 1872, continuously since its first formation, and 
was elected President of the Council in 1870. Dr. 
Brouse has represented his town in the County 
Council, and was the choice of the people for Mayor. 
In the year 1858, he was selected to contest the St] 




COL. HURD. 





MRS. HURD. 



SENATOR BROUSE. 





J. R. CHURCH. 



J. K. REED. 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



Lawrence Division, by a delegation of Reformers, 
for a seat in the Legislative Council against the late 
Hon. George Crawford. Many will recollect the 
fearful struggle that took place. Ten thousand 
votes were polled and Dr. Brouse was defeated by 
sixty-one votes. He then left political life and 
assumed nominally the duties of Post Master of 
Prescott, while his whole time was devoted to the 
practice of his profession, until 1872, when his friends 
prevailed upon him to resign his office and engage in 
a struggle to redeem South Grenville from Conser 
vative rule. He was successful in defeating Walter 
Shanly, the former member, by eighty-two votes, and 
again secured a victory in 1874, over the same 
opponent by a majority of one hundred and eleven 
votes. Dr. Brouse is a very moderate Reformer, and 
refused to sustain his party in all their party votes. 

He first brought before the House of Commons 
for consideration the claims of the veterans of 1812, 
and through which action $50,000 have been yearly 
granted to those loyal men. At a later period, Dr. 
Brouse submitted a resolution demanding that some 
recognition should be given the loyal men of 1837 and 
1838, who defended our flag and drove the rebels 
from our soil. That a portion of the wild lands in 
the great Northwest should be granted them, in 
extent equal to that granted the immigrant settler, 
he announced his advocacy in the strongest terms. 
He has shown, in moving for a committee, with the 
greatest earnestness that military drill should be 
taught in our schools, advocating that a large 
saving can be made in our military expenditure, 
as well as greater efficiency in drill secured. He 
is in favor of establishing a Dominion Sanitary 
Bureau, as a storehouse from which the people 
may be educated on the great question of public 
health. He succeeded in two sessions in securing 
a committee, who reported favorably in both 
instances, as condusive to the best interests of 
the community. The great importance of health 
legislation, through Dr. Brouse s efforts at Ottawa, 
has inspired legislation on this subject at the last 
session of the Ontario Legislature. 

In 1878, a vacancy occurred in the Senate, which 
was filled by the appointment of Mr. Brouse. 

THE MEDICAL PROFESSION. 

SPENCERVILLE. 

S. C. McLean, M. D, was born in Augusta, in 
1846. He entered the Royal College of Physicians 
and Surgeons, Kingston, in 1871, graduating in 
1874, and commenced the practice of his profession 
with Dr. Dunn, of North Augusta. He then 
removed to Bishop s Mills, where he resided one 
year, and finally entered upon the duties of his 



profession at Spencerville, where he has since 

resided. 

LYH. 

James Parker, M. D,, son of Andrew Parker, of 
the Township of Bastard, was born in 1841, in that 
municipality. He attended Victoria College, and 
also Trinity College, graduating with the degrees 
of M. D. and M. B., in 1870, becoming also a L. R. 
C. P. S,, O. He commenced practice in Toledo, 
removing to Lyn in August, 1878. 

PRESCOTT. 

Dr. Buckley was born in Prescott. where he 
received his elementary education, subsequently 
studying in the Regeopolis College, Kingston, and 
the Jesuit College, Montreal. He entered McGill 
College in 1866, and received his diploma in 1870, 
commencing the practice of his profession in Clay 
ton, New York, where he continued till 1873, when 
he removed to Prescott. He is a member of the 
Board for the Examination of Pensioners, and in 
1876 was elected President of the Medical Asso 
ciation of the Counties. 

John Easton, M. D., was born in 1822, in the 
Township of Yonge. He graduated from McGill 
College, Montreal, in 1852, since w-hich time he has 
practiced in Prescott, with the exception of a year 
spent in British Columbia. He is a member of the 
Board of Pension Examiners ; a Coroner of the 
Counties ; has served as a Town Councillor for 
many years ; and has been a School Trustee for 
twenty-four years. 

W. J. Jones, M. D., was born in the Township of 
Augusta, in 1831. He entered McGill College in 
1852, graduating in 1856. He commenced the 
practice of medicine in Wardsville, Middlesex, 
County, the same year, removing to Prescott in 
1862. Finding his practice rapidly increasing, he 
entered into a copartnership with Dr. Chipman, 
in 1875. 

C. J. H. Chipman, M.D., was born at Halifax, N.S , 
in 1845 ; graduated at McGill College, Montreal, in 
Arts in 1866, and in Medicine in 1868. He practiced 
his profession for two years in Montreal, entered the 
General Hospital of that city in 1872, removing to 
Prescott in 1875, where he entered into partnership 

with Dr. Jones. 

CARDINAL. 

A. E. McMillan, M. D., was born in Edwardsburg 
in 1852, graduating from McGill College, Montreal, 
in 1874. He practiced for a short time in Morris- 
burg, but in 1875, removed to his native village, 
where he has since resided. 

J. D. R. Williams, M. D., was born in Carleton 
County, in 1833 ; studied in Victoria College, 



152 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



Toronto, graduating in 1854. He commenced prac 
tice in the Town of Perth in 1858, removing to 
Iroquois in 1858. In 1866, he engaged in literary 
pursuits, and was for upwards of two years upon the 
editorial staff of the Toronto Globe. In 1869, he en- 
gaged][somewhat in gold mining, practicing his pro 
fession, when required, in Marmora, Ont., finally 
settling in Edwardsburg in 1877. 

MERRICKVII.LF.. 

E. J. Kelly, M. D., was born in Merrickville, in 
1839 5 educated at Queen s College, Kingston, gradu 
ating in 1862. He commenced practice the same 
year in Merrickville, removing to Oswego, N. Y., in 
the fall of 1863, and returning to his native place in 
1867. 

J. A. Merrick, M. D., born in Merrickville, studied 
at McGill College, Montreal, and at Bellevue Hos 
pital, New York, graduating in 1870. He com 
menced practice in North Gower the same year, 
removing to his native place in 1877. 

Wm. Weir, M. D., born in Banffshire, Scotland, in 
1835, educated at King s College, Aberdeen, and 
Queen s College, Kingston, graduating from the 
latter in 1861. He first commenced practice in 
Toledo, Ont., removing to Easton s Corners in 1862, 
and to Merrickville in 1865, leaving there for Carle- 
ton Place in 1875 and returning to Merrickville in 
1878. 

The following list contains all the patents of lands 
granted by the Crown in the Township of South 
Gower, previous to January ist, 1803 : 



TOWNSHIP OF SOUTH GOWER. 















^ 
: 


Lot. 


Name of Grantee. 


Part of Lot. 


u 


Date of Patent. 


U 








< 




6 


8 


Jenny Crawford 


All 


200 


Nov. ?5th, 1802 



SOUTH GOWER (FORMERLY NORTH GOWER.) 

SOUTH OF THE RIDEAU. 



E 



I 

2 

3 


Lot. 


Name of Grantee. 


Part of Lot. 


,: 
u 
c 

U 

< 


Date of Patent. 


32 
36-37 
39} 
40 / 

39-4 
ti-42 


Jenny Fraser. 


All 

All 
I All 
i Pt 
S E Pt 
All 




10 

IIO 

2OC 

200 
4OO 


May 171)1, 1802 
June 30th, 1801 

Sept. 4th, 1800 

Sept. 4th, 1800 
Sept. 4th, 1800 




Thomas Fraser 


Thomas Fraser 


Thomas Fraser 



TOWN OF JOHNSTOWN. 



The following list contains all the patents granted 
by the Crown for lands in the Town of Johnstown, 
up to the 3151 of December, 1802 : 



QJ 


Lot. 


Name ol Grantee. 


Part of Lot. 


OJ 


Date of Patent. 


w 








o 








NORTH SIDE. 








y 


3 


Duncan Grant 


All 


I 


AUP". loth 1801 




ii 


Lewis Grant 


All 


I 


Aug. loth I So I 



rt 


16 


Charles Curtis Ferrancl 
Sir John Johnston .... 


All 
All 


gsc 


May 1 7th, 1802 
Aug. loth, I So I 








Ing 16 s 1st st 










SOUTH SIDE. 








t*; 


16 


Sir John Johnson 


All 


3/ 


Aur loth I So I 








Including 1 6, 


* 










North of 






_: 






Water Street. 






a 

(S 


10 


David Breakenridge. . . 


All 


I 


June loth, 1801 






NORTH SIDE. 








. 


10 


Capt. William Fraser. . 


All 


I 


May i;th, 1802 


> 


ii 


Capt. Thomas Fraser. . 


All 


I 


May I7th, 1802 






SOUTH SIDE. 








J-- 


10 


Capt. Hugh Munro . . 


All 


, 


May 1 7th, 1802 


* 


II 


Major Peter Drummond 


All 


I 


Dec. 1st, 1802 


1 

: 




PARK LOTS, 












(East of the Town.) 








2 


7 


Duncan Grant 


All 


6 


Aug. loth, 1801 


3 


6 


Lewis Grant 


All 




Au^. loth 1801 






PARK LOTS, 












(West of the Town.) 








I 


I 


Sir John Johnson 


All 


f>l A 


Aug. loth, 1801 


2 


I 


Sir John Johnson 


All 


% 


Auij. loth, 1801 



REV. D. V. LUCAS, M. A. 

Mr. Lucas^races his genealogy back through seven 
generations. Originally the family resided in Eng 
land, its members being staunch adherents of the 
Established Church. At an early date, they removed 
to Ireland, where the great grandfather and grand 
father of Mr. Lucas were born. The following 
anecdote has been preserved relating to the great, 
great, great, great grandfather : 

" Some robbers, prowling through the neighbor 
hood in which he resided, saw a light in his house, 
only. One climbed upon the shoulders of another, 
and peeped through the small opening at the top of 
the shutter and found that the whole family were on 
their knees at prayer. Getting down, he said, " Boys, 
if we were all as well employed as old John Lucas, it 
would be a great deal better for us." 

The robber was hanged a short time after for the 
commission of a crime, and made the above con 
fession from the scaffold. 

A branch of the Lucas family removed to New 
York State, but, at the close the Revolutionary War, 
preferring British rule to Republicanism, emigrated 
with other Loyalists to New Brunswick, where Mr. 
Lucas father was born. 

In 1807, Mr. Lucas grandfather proceeded to 
Upper Canada, settling at Wellington Square, County 





REVP D.V.Luc^s. 





WYATT CHAMBERLAIN 



MRS. D.V.LUCAS. 




HARMONIUS ALGUIRE. 



;; ,.,.. r 
MRS. HARMONIUS ALGUIRE. 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



53 



of Halton, near which village the subject of this 
sketch was born. 

Nearly every male member of the Lucas family, 
who had arrived at the age of maturity, took up arms 
in defence of Canada during the war of 1812-15. 

In 1837, Mr. Lucas father supported the govern 
ment of the day, and was shortly after commissioned 
as a captain. 

Mr. Lucas was reared as a farmer s son, working 
for many years on his father s farm. Having ob 
tained a fair education at the public schools, he 
proceeded to Victoria College, where he distin 
guished himself as a close student. Subsequently 
he received the degree of Master of Arts from an 
American University. Entering the ministry of the 
Wesleyan Methodist Church, he commenced public 
life as the minister in charge of Farmcrsville, in the 
County of Leeds. Such was his success that he 
attracted the attention of the church authorities, 
and was appointed to a mission at Victoria, Van 
couver Island, British Columbia, where he remained 
for two years, meeting with the most gratifying 
success, which is attested by the flattering testi 
monials which he received from the citizens of the 
Pacific coast. Returning to Leeds County, his old 
friends gave him a hearty welcome. He next 
received the appointment of Travelling Lecturer 
for the Stanstead Wesleyan College, and as such 
fully established his reputation as one of the fore 
most platform speakers in the lecture field of the 
Dominion. The lectures have grown out of efforts 
to advance local interests, coupled with a deep sym 
pathy for the enlightenment of the lower classes, 
the titles being suggestive of humanity in the 
broadest sense of the term : " British Columbia and 
Indian Tribes," " China and the Chinese," " Abra 
ham Lincoln and American Slavery" all are 
themes worthy of the orator and philanthropist. 
Mr. Lucas has won the highest enconiums from the 
press, the pulpit, and the people, and even from so 
practical a body as the Emigration Committee of 
the House of Commons, for the tact, eloquence, 
pathos, and humor with which he has treated his 
respective themes At the present time he has 
charge of one of the Canada Methodist Churches 
in the City of Montreal. 

MRS. D. V. LUCAS. 

Mrs. Lucas was born at L Orginal, she being the 
only daughter of the late Rev. Joseph Reynolds, a 
successful minister of the Methodist Church. She 
received the greater portion of her intellectual 
training at the High School, Farmersville, com 
pleting her education at the Wesleyan Female 
College, Hamilton. Few ladies are better qualified 



to fill the important position of the wife of a 
Christian minister. An accomplished lady, she 
possess a wide circle of friends in the United 
Counties. 

WALTER H. DENAUT. 

Joachim Denaut, from Laprarie, Lower Canada, 
settled at Johnstown, County of Grenville, about 
the year 1800. The family was originally from 
France, Bishop Denaut, of Lower Canada, being a 
brother to the grandfather of Walter. 

The subject of this sketch was born at Johnstown, 
where he principally resided until the age of 16, 
when he proceeded to Beverly in the capacity of a 
clerk for Hartwell & Schofield. He next removed 
to Brockville, where he entered the employment of 
H. & S. Jones. Entering into partnership with Mr. 
Hubbel, the firm built the mills at Hubbel s Falls. 
Mr. Denaut informs us that the first mill was built 
at Beverly by a man named Mattice. William Jones 
erected the present mills, which were purchased by 
Mr. Denaut in 1859. The first actual settlers of 
Delta were Abel Stevens, Sr., and Mattice. 

At the time of Forsyth s raid upon Brockville, 
during the war of 1812, Mr. Denaut was a little boy, 
and visiting with his grandfather, Michael Cook, the 
first gaoler of the Johnstown District. On the night 
of the attack, he was aroused from his slumbers by 
the tramp of armed men, who appeared to be highly 
amused to find themselves confronted by a child in 
a long night-gown, firmly grasping a wooden gun 
which stood by his bedside, and with which he had 
been accustomed to train other British juveniles of 
the patriotic village of Brockville. Mr. Denaut 
asserts that every prisoner confined in the gaol was 
liberated, but that McSween, who was incarcerated 
upon the charge of murder, refused to stir. 

Mr. Denaut married, in 1843, Julia Easton, sister 
of George Easton, Esq. The children from this 
union were Roderick, George, Walter, and Julia. 
His wife dying, he married Harriet Jones, of Con 
necticut. She also dying, his third wife was Caroline, 
daughter of Ephraim Dunham, by whom he has had 
seven children. 

Mr. Denaut was a member of the first District 
Council, and has repeatedly represented the muni 
cipality in which he resides in the Counties 

Council. 

THE SEAMAN FAMILY, 

AND 

STEPHEN SEAMAN. 

Samuel Seaman was born in the State of Vermont, 
and removed to Canada at an early date. He mar 
ried Sarah Smith, of Elizabethtown, but a native of 
Vermont. The young couple located in the Town 
ship of Bastard, where they raised the following 



54 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



family : Martha, Cornelius, Rhoda, Stephen, Polly, 
Caleb, Albert, and Murray. 

Samuel settled on Lot No. 15, in the 9th Conces 
sion, where he remained until the declaration of war 
in 1812, when he volunteered to defend his country, 
doing duty at Gananoque. He died in March, 1813, 
his wife surviving until July 7th, 1834. 

Stephen Seaman was born in Bastard, July 24th, 
1804. He married Manada McCollum, in January, 
1826, she dying without issue. He next married 
Catherine, relict of the late George Percival, by 
whom he has had two children. 

Mr. Seaman is an excellent example of the success 
which attends the intelligent Canadian farmer. He 
has, by agricultural pursuits alone, acquired a hand 
some fortune, Being adverse to public life, he 
invariably declines all offers that would tend to 
remove him from the quiet of the home circle. 
Always a liberal supporter of churches and schools, 
his influence is of that character which reflects 
credit not only upon himselt, but also upon the 
community in which he resides. 

HENRY LAISHLEY. 

The subject of this sketch was born at Andover, 
Hampshire, England. In 1837, his father removed 
to the United States, the son remaining there until 
1843, when he removed to Canada, teaching school 
for several years in the vicinity of Farmersville. 
He next opened a general store at Elgin, where he 
has since resided. Mr. Laishley has occupied the 
position of Superintendent of Public Schools, and 
also a seat in the Municipal Council. 

GEORGE PURVIS. 

Mr. Purvis was one of the early pioneers of Leeds 
who served his country in I8i2. He died October 
ist, 1878, leaving a numerous posterity, including 
ten children, twenty-nine grandchildren, and twenty- 
two great-grandchildren. The deceased will long 
be remembered as an honest and highly respected 
citizen. 

ADAM SHOOK. 

Adam Shook was born of German parents, at 
Levington-Manon, State of New York, February 
zpth, 1775. While he was a child, his parents 
removed to Saratoga. Mr. Shook married Patty 
Soper, who was born July I4th, 1784. About the 
year 1801, Mr. and Mrs. Shook became members of 
the Baptist Church, through the missionary labors 
of Elder Pillsberry, of Boston. In March, 1796, Mr. 
Shook removed to Canada, settling on Lot No. 5, 
in the 7th Concession of Bastard, his clearing being 
at that time the furtherest removed from the St. 
Lawrence, in that portion of Leeds County. He 



married in 1801, and in 1812 took up arms in 
defence of his country, serving at Gananoque. 

The Shook family originally consisted of six 
brothers and three sisters, one of the brothers, 
Philip, coming to Canada with Adam. Two of the 
Shook brothers married two sisters, daughters of 
Solomon Soper, of Kitley. Their remains all lie in 
the little cemetery opposite the residence of the late 
Abner Chapin, the brothers being interred side by 
side and feet to feet, and the sisters in the same 
position. The monument is of Vermont marble, 
taken from the farm upon which the sisters were 
born in that State. 

During the absence of her husband in the war of 
1812, a wolf came to the vicinity of the house, as if 
aware that no danger could be apprehended. Patty 
Shook was in possession, at the time, of a musket, 
but did not understand loading it. The difficulty 
was overcome by a visit from her brother, who 
charged the old " Queen Ann " with a ball and 
several buck shot. The next day the wolf again 
appeared, when the wife of the Canadian pioneer 
shouldered her musket, and stole cautiously in the 
direction of her unwelcome visitor. When suffici 
ently near for practical purposes, she levelled the 
gun across a stump, and aimed with such precision 
that the wolf fell dead, shot through the heart. 

It is related that for some time after Mr. Shook 
settled in Bastard, the black flies and musquitoes 
were so numerous that the settlers, when planting 
and hoeing Indian corn, were compelled to drag 
after them a small trough, in which a smouldering 
fire was kept burning. 

Adam Shook died November 23rd, 1847, n s w ^ e 
surviving until February i8th, 1874. The homestead 
remains in the possession of descendants of the 
family. 

THE READ FAMILY. 

Moses Read resided on the Connecticut River at 
the time of the Revolutionary War. In 1784, he 
removed to the Township of Augusta, taking up 
Lot No. 36, in the 3rd Concession. During the 
following year his family arrived in Canada. His 
family consisted of three sons Obadiah, Moses, Jr., 
and Benjamin, and also three daughters. Obadiah, 
at the time of the removal to Canada, was the father 
of two children. His journey to Canada, via Lake 
Champlain, was one of long suffering and many 
trials. Previous to the departure of Moses, Sr., he 
was arrested by the Continental authorities, and 
only escaped being hanged for treason, by proving 
that he had during the war been an enlisted soldier 
in the British army. Obadiah was also persecuted 
and heavily fined, because he refused to serve in the 
Rebel army. 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



155 



Moses Read, Jr., was born July nth, 1800, and 
resides on the farm which his fathei drew as a 
United Empire Loyalist, it being the farm adjoining 
the one drawn by his grandfather. He was the 
father of fourteen children, eleven of whom survive. 
Samuel resides with his father ; Isaac lives in Con 
necticut ; Weston resides at Detroit ; Moses resides 
at Seaforth, Ontario. The daughters are Mrs. George 
D. Ross, of Chatham ; Mrs. William H. Ross, of 
Brockville ; Mrs. Hiram Carpenter, of Augusta ; 
Mrs. James Cooper, of Augusta ; Mrs. William 
Smith, of Elizabethtown ; Mrs. William Logan, of 
Lucan, Ontario ; and Frances Louisa, unmarried. 

When the Reads first settled in Augusta, they 
were compelled to go to Kingston to have their 
milling done. At the time the first mill was raised 
at Ogdensburg, the Canadian settlers of Augusta 
and Elizabethtown went to that place en masse to 
assist. 

Among the early settlers of Augusta were Samuel 
Landon, Daniel Shipman, Joseph Towsley, Adaniram 
Burritt, Jehial Hurd, and Oliver Evertts. 

FREDERICK WRIGHT. 

Mr. Wright was born in Dublin, Ireland, November 
i4th, 1810. In 1832, he graduated from Trinity 
College, and emigrated to Canada during the fol 
lowing year. He settled near Kemptville, where he 
was married January i8th, 1836. He removed to 
Delta in 1853, and to Westport in 1867, where he 
continued to reside until his death, September 
iith, 1878. 

In 1855, Mr. Wright published a volume of poems 
entitled " Wayside Pencillings," and in 1864, another 
volume, " Lays of a Pilgrim." He was for manv 
years an extensive contributor to the local press, 
particularly the Brockville RECORDER, also furnishing 
occasional poems for magazines and American pub 
lications. His poems are characterized by a vein of 
sadness, pointing to a half forgotten, yet well 
remembered, past. Under more favorable auspices 
and with leisure for literary pursuits, the " Pilgrim 
Poet " would undoubtedly have stamped his name 
permanently upon the literature of Canada. Many 
of his minor poems possess a depth and pathos 
which were buds of the fairest promise, but, alas ! 
destined to perish amid the multitudinous cares of 
a life spent far removed from libraries and those 
influences so indespensable for the highest develop- 
of the poetic faculty. 

The following poem is from his pen : 

"WE ARE GROWING OLD." 

" Fair youth is gone the days are past, 

With all their blithesome hours, 

When not a cloud our path o ercast, 

So amply strewn with flowers ; 



As time moves on its steady race 

More solemn scenes unfold 
The bended form and sober face 

Show we are growing old ! 

" The snowy sails that trimm d our bark 

And bore us gaily on 
Are worn to tatters, soiled, and dark 

All but the main-sheet gone ! 
Of all our cables, tried and true, 

But one is left to hold 
Our drifting vessel still in view, 

As we are growing old. 

The visions of our early age, 

Where Hope s gay pinions shone, 
Like sunbeams, o er our pilgrimage, 

Hath left us, one by one ! 
The cheerful voices all are mute, 

The loving hearts lie cold, 
And scarce we trust the feeble foot, 

As we are growing old. 

" Yet not without a lamp are we, 

To cheer life s dark ning day, 
Though time and churlish death agree 

We must not longer stay : 
We shall but close our eyes in this 

Poor world, where all grows cold, 
To wake in brighter scenes tis bliss 

That we are growing old ! 4 

" Youth s cherished friendships, frail and sweet, 

With manhood s closer ties, 
Maturely joined by age, shall meet 

Where friendship never dies ! 
How precious, then, the trusting faith 

That can such scenes unfold 
All broken links unite in death 

Rejoice, we re growing old !" 

OGLE R. GOWAN. 

Mr. Gowan was born in the County of Wexford, 
Ireland, his father being Captain Gowan, of Mount 
Nebo, Wexford. At an early age he entered upon 
politics, becoming editor of the Dublin Advocate. 
In 1809, he emigrated to Canada, settling in the 
County of Leeds, where he was instrumental in 
establishing the Orange Order. He was chosen 
the first Master of Orange Lodge No. i, Brockville, 
and is generally regarded as the father of Orange- 
ism in Upper Canada. 

Naturally a politician of the extreme school, he 
won for himself many warm friends, and equally as 
many bitter opponents. Previous to and during the 
exciting times of 1837, his crusade against all who 
were opposed to him politically was characterized 
by a spirit nearly approaching the vindictive. He 
regarded Reformers as rebels, and as such treated 
them. In this connection it should not be forgotten 
that William Lyon Mackenzie s mad attempt at 
rebellion met with no support east of Toronto, and 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



that the persecution of William B. Richards, William 
B. Wells, Walter McCrea, and other Reformers of 
this section, was totally uncalled for. 

Mr. Gowan was one of the originators of the first 
volunteer force formed in Upper Canada, it being 
known as the " Brockville Invincibles." For several 
years he figured prominently in the Militia. Sir 
Francis Bond Head made him Captain of the 2nd 
Leeds Militia, under the orders of the Hon. Charles 
Jones. Lieutenant-General Lord Seaton gave him 
command of a company of the Queen s Own Rifles. 
His Excellency, Sir George Arthur appointed him 
to a command in the 9th Provisional Battalion of 
Militia. At the Battle of the Windmill he was 
slightly wounded, and was noticed in the general 
orders giving an account of the battle. On the 
decease of the Hon. Charles Jones, he became the 
commander of the 2nd Leeds Militia. 

As a politician he represented the County of 
Leeds in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Provincial 
Parliaments, and also in the Second Parliament 
of Upper Canada. The election riots which broke 
out at Beverly, and disgraced the Province, have 
been generally ascribed to Mr, Gowan s determina 
tion to rule the county at any cost. One fact 
connected with his public career, not generally 
known, deserves more than a passing comment. 
In a letter, written in 1830, he favored the preserva 
tion of harmony between the executive and repre 
sentative branches of the government, thus becoming 
an advocate of Responsible Government. This 
letter, which is still extant, was published by Sir 
Francis Hincks, and largely circulated. Mr. Gowan 
was appointed agent for Crown Landr, in the 
District of Johnstown, and afterwards Supervisor 
of Tolls on the Public Works west of Lachine. 
His parliamentary career closed in 1861, when he 
became Post Office Inspector of the Money Order 
Department for Upper Canada, a position which 
he filled for many years. At the time of his death 
he held the position of Issuer and Inspector of 
Licences for the City of Toronto. For many years 
his influence in political circles was great, his 
position as Grand Master of the Orangemen giving 
his opinions weight. An excellent public speaker 
and debater, he handled political opponents with 
a severity at many times uncalled for, and 
provoked a bitterness in the discussion of public- 
affairs which even the lapse of fifty years has not 
been able to efface. 

MAJOR J. M. WALSH. 

Major Walsh, of the Northwest Mounted Police, 
was born at Prescott, County of Grenville, in 1842. 
In 1866, when the Fenian Raid aroused the patriotism 
pf so many Canadians, Mr, Walsh joined the volun 



teers, he having previously graduated at the Military 
School at Kingston. His promotion was rapid, he 
being created ensign and subsequently acting- 
adjutant, next becoming Captain of the Lisgar 
Rifles. Entering the Cavalry School, he won well 
merited praise from the officer commanding, Colonel 
Jenyns, who declared him to be the best drilled 
Canadian who had graduated from the school. In 
1872, he organized a troop of cavalry, which remain 
ed under his command until, the following year, 
when he proceeded to the Northwest with the first 
detachment of Mounted Police, his position being 
that of Subordinate Inspector. During the follow 
ing year he returned to Ontario on business con 
nected with his military duties, and was promoted 
to the rank of Superintendent and Inspector. In 
May, 1874, he departed for the "Great Lone Land," 
with his second detachment, and marched from 
Dufferin to the Rocky Mountains, a distance of 1,400 
miles, establishing the post now so well known as 
Fort Walsh. He has taken a leading part in nego 
tiating treaties with the Indians, and has upon 
several occasions of great danger acted with a promp 
titude and decision, which marks him as an officer of 
the class especially fitted to deal with the treacherous 
savages. On the arrival of Sitting Bull on Canadian 
territory, the situation became one of great peril, 
requiring caution, boldness and tact. Major Walsh 
so conducted matters that he became known over 
the continent as " Sitting Bull s Boss." During his 
sojourn among the aborigines, the Major has 
acquired the Sioux and Blackfeet languages. By 
the Peigans he is known as " White Chief of the 
Assiniboines," and by the Blackfeet as "The one 
who ties," having upon one occasion shackled four 
of their chiefs. 

In 1870, the Major married a daughter of Mr. 
John Mowat, of Brockville, where his family at 
present resides. 

W. R. BIGG. 

Mr. W. R. Bigg was born in London, England, in 
1821, and followed the mercantile profession till 1843, 
emigrating to Canada in 1842. From 1843 to the 
present time he has been actively engaged in the 
cause of education, having filled the positions of 
Principal of the Central School, St. Thomas (Elgin); 
Mathematical and Science Master of the Gait 
Grammar School ; Principal of the Brockville 
Central School, and Headmaster of the United 
High and Public Schools of Brockville, which 
latter position he held till his appointment of Public 
School Inspector for the First Division of Leeds, in 
1871. In the same year he was also chosen as Public 
School Inspector for Brockville, and a similar honor 
rred on him by the Roman Catholic School 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



Board of the town in appointing him as their 
Inspector. 

During the period of Mr. Bigg s engagement at 
Gait, five of his pupils graduated with first class 
honors in mathematics in Toronto University, and 
one of the number (Wright) succeeded in obtaining 
a scholarship ever} year of his course, and finishing 
with the gold medal for mathematics in his B. A. 
year. 

Among those in Brockville instructed by Mr. Bigg 
may be mentioned the names of the late Daniel 
Wade, Barrister ; Mr. Edmund Reynolds, Barrister ; 
the Inspectors of the Montreal and Dominion Tele 
graph Companies, Messrs. John Lanskail and Thos. 
Elwood ; Dr. Jackson, Mr. George Lafayette, Messrs. 
R. M. and H. T. Fitzsimmons, merchants ; and 
Messrs. Bogue and Smart, Briggs, McCullough, et al. 

MEDICAL MEN. 

LANSDOWNE. 

R. B. Aylsworth, M. D., was born in Addington in 
1842. He attended Queen s College, Kingston, and 
also Victoria College, graduating from the latter in 
1867, with the degree of M. D. In the same year he 
commenced the practice of his profession at Lans- 
downe, where he has since resided. 

P. P. Percy, M. D., was born at Napanee, Ontario. 
He studied medicine with Dr. Moore, of Picton, and 
graduated at McGill College, Montreal, in 1848. 
He commenced the practice of his profession at 
Brighton, where he remained until 1853, when ill 
health compelled his retirement from active service. 
In 1863, he resumed practice at Delta, from which 
place he removed to Lansdowne in 1865, where he 
has since resided. 

MALLORYTOWN. 

J. W. Lane, M. D., was born in North Williams- 
burg in 1847. He obtained his medical training at 
Queen s College, Kingston, graduating at Toronto 
as a member of the Royal College of Physicians and 
Surgeons in 1875. During the year of his gradua 
tion he commenced practice at Mallorytown, where 
his skill soon won for him a lucrative practice. 

THE WOOD FAMILY. 

Frederick Wood emigrated from Scotland a short 
time before the breaking out of the American Revo 
lution, and settled in the vicinity of New Albany, 
U. S. His family consisted of four sons and four 
daughters. Joseph, one of the sons, received an 
excellent education, and afterwards became a sur 
veyor. During the Revolution Joseph was an 
officer in the army ; when the struggle closed, he 
removed to Augusta and settled there. During 



the War of 1812, all the male members of the 
family fought under the British flag. When the 
war was over they all went west, with the exception 
of Alfred, Solomon, and Anthony. 

Alfred settled on Lot 26, in the 5th Concession 
of Augusta ; Solomon settled on Lot 25 ; Anthony 
settled on Lot 24. 

Solomon married Anna Lakins, and raised a large 
family. The sons were : Amasa, Joseph, Solomon, 
Jr., William, John L., and Charles; the daughters 
were : Sarah, Mary, Marinda, and Vashtia. Amasa 
married Luretta Nettleton ; Joseph married Per- 
melia, daughter of the late Rev. Ezra Healey ; Solo 
mon married Roxy Ann Kilborn ; William married 
Catherine Rose ; John L. married Elizabeth Howard, 
daughter of the late James Howard ; Charles mar 
ried Sarah Burlingham. Sarah married William 
Van Camp ; Mary married John Godred ; Marinda 
married Samuel Francis. 

Alfred married Miss Neachey, and had a family 
of four sons and three daughters, of whom Anthony 
married Polly Earl ; Charles married Anna Andrees; 
William married Catherine Wright ; Polly married 
Aaron Derrick ; Charlotte married Joseph Gibson. 

Anthony Wood, son of Joseph, married Laura 
Bennett, by whom he had the following sons : 
Arnold, Eben, Philo, and Philander ; and also four 
daughters. 

Amasa, son of Joseph, removed from Augusta 
after the War of 1812, and settled at Fingal. Two 
of his sons, Amasa and Philo, are leading citizens 
of that section. 

John L., son of Solomon Wood, settled on Lot 23, 
in the 2nd Concession of Augusta, where he now 
resides. He has six sons and two daughters. 

The following extract is taken from a Prescott 
paper, and is well entitled 

"THE LONG AGO." 

"It is not often that an Old Mortality finds 
scope for investigation and reflection among the 
graveyards along the banks of the St. Lawrence, 
as few of them are of such antiquity as to invite 
the labors of the searcher after old world lore. 
Occasionally, however, accident reveals that which 
starts a train of thought, and reminds us that even 
in this young country time rolls ceaselessly on, and 
soon we may have people endeavoring to find out 
names and dates from such sources as the headstone 
in cemeteries which loving hands are now erecting. 

"It seems that Prescott in its earlier days, whether 
subject to more than unusual mortality or not, had 
more than one burying ground. Indeed, every 
denomination seems to have had its own cemetery. 
With the establishment of the Sandy Hill Cernetery 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



the late Edward Jessup s generous gift to the 
town, and, still later, the R. C. Cemetery, these 
various cities of the dead have been abolished, and 
interments are now entirely made in them or in the 
Blue Church Cemetery (the distance from town of 
which doubtless prevents its being more generally 
used, as it is by far the prettiest spot of all.) As 
the town grew in population, it was only right that 
the various burying grounds located in its midst 
should be removed, and we understand that it was 
in the terrible cholera times of 1831 and 1832 that 
the Sandy Hill Cemetery came into general use. 

" Lately, while passing the men at work on the 
new fence around the Presbyterian Church, our 
attention was directed to a headstone whicii had 
long ago been laid on its face, and which has been 
often trodden on by careless feet, as it lay half 
buried, whose owners never thought of its true 
purpose there. A glance at the inscription, which 
was in perfect preservation, revealed the following : 

SACRED 
To the Memory 

of 

CYNTHIA FLINT, 

WIFE OF JOHN HOLDEN, 

Who departed this life 

JULY 26rH, 1828, 

Aged 
17 YEARS n MONTHS AND 15 DAYS. 

" There are not half a dozen people in Prescott 
to-day who will remember this young wife, who 
died before she had reached her eighteenth birth 
day, but there are many who will remember Mr. 
Holden, as the successful merchant and man of 
sterling integrity. Mr. Holden ran for the old 
Parliament of Canada in the Reform interest, but 
was defeated by Dr. Jessup, Collector of Customs. 
Mr. Holden s relict (his second wife) survives in the 
person of the present Mrs. S. B. Merrill. Mr. Holden 
amassed considerable wealth, and was greatly 
esteemed by all who knew him. She, in whose 
memory this stone had been erected, was a sister 
of the Hon. Billa Flint, of Belleville, so well known 
as the persevering friend of Prohibition. Our 
esteemed friend, Mr. Joseph Raycroft, of Augusta, 
informs us that hers was the first funeral which he 
ever attended in this country. Several members of 
Mr. Holden s own family survive, but all are very 
much younger than he would have been. Among 
them we might mention Mrs. George E. Johnston 
Mrs. M. Robinson, of Augusta, and Mrs. Colonel 
Wylie, of Brockville. 

"Another stone of similar character and design 
was also turned up, but the date is some three years 
later. The inscription bears the name of John 
Fielde, died January 2nd, 1831, aged 18 years and 9 
months. 

" We have been informed that many of the bodies 



interred in the Presbyterian Burying Ground were 
removed to Sandy Hill, but it is a rather remarkable 
coincidence that the only two stones remaining 
should have marked the last resting place of two who 
had been called away in the flush of youth. Neither 
of them are in the way of the improvements which 
are being made, and, as they have been replaced in 
their recumbent position, inscription downwards, 
they will likely long mark the spot where two of 
Prescott s earliest residents mouldered into dust 
before they had reached half of life s prime." 

THE GRENVILLE BBEWERY, 

AND 

JOHN MCCARTHY. 

This brewery is located on the bank of the River 
St. Lawrence, about one mile west of Prescott ; it 
was established in 1869, by John McCarthy and James 
Ouinn, the latter ceasing to be a partner , October 
ist, 1877. 

The main building is substantially built of stone, 
is three stories in height and has a capacity of 50x36 
feet, independent of the granary ; the malt house is 
a stone building 30x90 feet ; the engine house is 
36x20 feet, and contains a superior steam engine of 
twenty-five horse power. A barn for hay and stock 
has been built with an area of 136x35 feet, with a 
stable on the south side running the entire length. 
The store house for malt and hops is 36x100 feet and 
two story s in height. Mr. McCarthy s residence is 
also substantial and commodious, the entire premises 
presenting an air of neatness which reflects the 
greatest credit upon the proprietor. The brewery 
cellars have capacity for 2,000 barrels of ale ; they 
are lined with white brick and provided with cement 
floors. The ale manufactured is XX and XXX, con 
taining about four per cent, of spirit. Skill, com 
bined with care, has given the ale manufactured at 
the Grenville Brewery more than a provincial repu 
tation, it ranking deservedly among the best manu 
factured in the Dominion. The brewing is from hops 
and malt alone, and upon no consideration would 
Mr. McCarthy permit any adulteration. He jealous 
ly guards the reputation of his products, and there 
fore meets with a ready sale for all that he can 
manufacture. 

THE MCCARTHY FAMILY. 

David McCarthy emigrated from the South of 
Ireland, and settled in Dundee, Province of Quebec, 
in 1827, where he still resides. The following 
children of David are living, viz : John, David, Jr., 
Hannah, Patrick and Mary. David, Jr., resides in 
California, where he owns an extensive ranche, and 
engages in stock raising. 

Hannah married Michael Baanon, of Dundee. 




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HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



Patrick resides in Prescott. 

Mary married James Courtney, of Fort Covington. 

John McCarthy was born December 4th, 1827, at 
receiving his education at that place. At Dundee, 
the age of 20, he removed to Prescott and learned the 
distilling business with Charles A. Payne, remaining 
with his employer for fourteen years. Mr. John 
Creighton next secured his services as manager of 
a distillery ; this arrangement was terminated at 
the end of the year, Mr. McCarthy next becoming a 
partner with Charles N. Russell. They rented the 
distillery at Maitland and carried on the business 
for three years, when the partnership was dissolved, 
Mr. McCarthy continuing the business for two years. 
He then removed to his present place of residence 
and entered into partnership with Mr. Payne in the 
distilling business, converting the old brewery into a 
distillery and continuing the business for four years. 
On May 6th, 1869, the partnership was dissolved, 
Mr. McCarthy buying the property, which, in addi 
tion to the brewery, consists of 209 acres of fine land, 
now in the highest state of cultivation. 

In September, 1852, Mr. McCarthy married Cath 
erine, daughter of Jeremiah Mahoney, of Edwards- 
burg. His wife has borne him the following 
children : David, Ellen, Margaret, Harriet, Sarah, 
John, William, Edward, Charles and Charlotte. 

THE COAD FAMILY, 

AND 

JOSEPH COAD. 

Joseph Coad, Sr., came to Canada from the 
County of Wicklow, Ireland, about the year 1822, 
locating on lot 17, in the 5th concession of Kitley. 
At the time of his arrival his family consisted of 
four members. Mr. Coad and his children, with 
the exception of George, proceeded to the United 
States a few years after the Rebellion. 

George Coad retained the homestead ; he married 
Jane Johnston, and raised the following family : 
Robert, who married Sarah Johnston ; Abraham, 
married Frances Connor ; Mary Jane, married J. W. 
Lockwood ; Isabella, married John Stratton ; Joseph 
(see personal sketch), also James, Ella, and George, 
unmarried. 

JOSEPH COAD. 

Mr. Coad was born April i3th, 1842, in the Town 
ship of Kitley. He received a good education at 
the Public School, and for some years engaged as a 
teacher. Subsequently he entered into the mercan 
tile business with his brother at Toledo. 

In 1874, he purchased the general store in Frank- 
ville, at that time conducted by Messrs. C. and R. 
Richards, and since that date has carried on a large 
and constantly increasing business. Mr. Coad served 



for several years as Secretary of the Agricultural 
Society of North Leeds and Grenville. He has 
been twice elected a member of the Municipal 
Council, and is especially well qualified to discharge 
public business. In 1873, Mr. Coad married Maggie, 
daughter of Thomas Connor. The Dominion Tele 
graph Office and the Post Office at Frankville are 
under Mr. Goad s supervision. 



CHAPTER XXXIX. 

AUGUSTA. 

THIS important municipality, situated on the bank 
of the St. Lawrence, was one of the first settled in 
the United Counties, the first settlers coming up the 
river in the brigade of boats in the spring of 1784. 
The Sherwoods, Jones, and Dunhams were pioneers 
who soon transformed the forest into prosperous 
and fertile lands, making the settlement one of the 
most prosperous on the frontier. 

For several years the settlers of Augusta were 
without a house in which to hold divine worship. 
Timothy Hodge built a large dwelling in which the 
Methodists held services. When the weather was 
warm, the congregation generally assembled at the 
barn of Joseph Scott. In 1816, preparations were 
made for building a church, it being completed in 
that and the following year. The site of the church 
was secured from Polly Dake, the original Trustees 
being Samuel Heck, John Lawrence, Philomon Pen- 
nock, Timothy Hodge, and Joseph Tovvsley. The 
witnesses to the deed were Emanuel Dake, James 
Holden, and Jonathan Woodcock. The first minister 
was the Rev. M. Puffer, the second being Emanuel 
Heck. 

Eben Sherwood moved into the municipality with 
his family, on an ox sleigh. He had two sons, Orin 
and Lorenzo. 

Lyman Stone settled at the place now known as 
Stone s Corners, which received its name from him. 
His son Erastus resides on the homestead. 

Joseph Barton was an early settler ; his son Amos 
is a citizen of the municipality 

Joseph Black settled on Lot No. 29, in the ist 
Concession, where he remained until the time of his 
death. The homestead is held by his son Elisha, 
who married Miss McLean, the daughter of a welt 
known resident. 

The only member of the McCrea family who 
remained in Augusta was James, the brothers- 
removing to the Rideau and the vicinity of Easton s 
Corners. Mr. McCrea reached the ripe old age of 
92 years, dying in February, 1879. His son, James 
L., resides on the homestead. 



i6o 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



Calvin and Samuel Throop came to Canada 
short time previous to the declaration of war in 
1812. Calvin settled on Lot No. 20, in the 6th 
Concession of Augusta. His sons were Samuel, 
Calvin, Jr., and Joseph. Calvin, Jr., married Miss 
Bishop, and removed to Illinois. Samuel married 
Marilla, daughter of the late William Earl. Samuel 
has three sons : Sawyer, who married Miss Larry ; 
Rufus, married Miss Briggs ; and Jesse, who mar 
ried Miss Burks, sister of Richard Burks. 

John Rose emigrated from Scotland when a boy, 
and settled in the United States. He removed to 
Canada previous to the year iSoo. Being a U. E. 
Loyalist, he drew, as a reward for his services, 
200 acres of land in ths 5th Concession of Matilda. 
He married Miss Munroe, sister of John and William 
Munroe, and was blessed with a family of eleven 
children. Mr. Rose was intimately connected with 
the early citizens of Grenville, in consequence of 
his staunch defence of Methodism at a date when 
to be a Methodst was to be debarred from all 
chance of preferment. Upon one occasion he was 
selected by the Methodists of the Johnstown Dis 
trict to proceed to Toronto and lay a petition before 
the Executive Council, asking that the right to 
perform the marriage ceremony be conferred upon 
Methodist ministers. The trip was made on horse 
back, but the delegate met with a curt refusal. 

Timothy Hodge came to Canada at a very early 
date. His son, Timothy, Jr., is yet a resident of Au 
gusta, and in the pand year of his age. The family 
consisted of the following children : Timothy, Jr., 
Milesy, Seneca, Henry, William, Anna, Cynthia, 
Polly, Harriet, Catherine, and Piney. Timothy 
married Miss Glassford ; Seneca married Jane Jack 
son ; Henry married Sally Whitney. The family 
originally settled on Lot No. 5, in the 3rd Concession, 
moving into the woods with a yoke of oxen borrowed 
from Mr. Moshier. The homestead is now held by 
Timothy s grandson, William. 

John Lawrence settled on Lot No. 18, in the 3rd 
Concession, about the year 1800. His children were 
John, Rebecca, and Betsey. 

Dr. Adonijah Bass resided at Bunker Hill, where 
the celebrated battle was fought. His family, con 
sisting of two sons and one daughter, witnessed the 
engagement. They were all staunch Loyalists, and 
determined to remove to Canada. Dr. Bass dying, 
one son, Joseph, made his way to Augusta, and 
having examined the country, returned to his native 
place, and with his mother and the rest of the 
family, started for Canada. They had disposed of 
their farm for stock, which was driven the entire 
distance by the boys. They settled on the 4 th and 



5th Concessions. A grandson, James Bass, occu 
pies the homestead. John Bass married Hannah 
Lakins ; Joseph Bass married Sally Lakins. Joseph 
was for many years a settler on Windmill Point. 
The family of John consisted of Moses, Joseph, 
Samuel, Jonathan, David, James, William, Justus, 
Elizabeth, Lydia, Polly, and Hannah. Joseph, Sr., 
had one son and two daughters. Adonijah married 
Jane Nettelton. During the first years that the 
Bass family were in Canada, the boys proceeded on 
foot each winter to Bunker Hill, and returned with 
stock taken in exchange for property which they 
had sold. 

Daniel Young was one of the first settlers in the 
Township, locating on Lot No. 15, in the 3rd Con 
cession. His children were : Hiram, Ephraim, John, 
Daniel, William, Joseph, Polly, Sally, Margaret, and 
Patty. 

James Pearson came to Canada about the year 
1808, and located on the point about one mile below 
the present Village of Maitland. He afterwards 
removed to the Rideau. His son Albert settled on 
Lot 27. He left two sons, Albert, Jr., and Henry. 

Andrew Perrin settled on Lot No. 14, in the 3rd 
Concession. His children were Oren, Eben, Mark, 
William, Andrew, Patty, and Polly. 

William Martin settled on Lot No. 12, in the 4th 
Concession. Mr. Martin came to Canada at the 
close of the Revolutionary War. In making the 
journey to Canada through the woods, he and his 
companions lost their way, and wandered for nearly 
three weeks in the forest. Provisions becoming 
scarce, they were compelled to kill a cow which 
they were driving. Not having any salt, they found 
it difficult to eat the meat, but the hide was eagerly 
devoured and relished. James, son of William, 
shortly after their settlement in Augusta, built a 
jumper, on which he placed a fat pig and twenty 
pounds of butter, and with this produce proceeded 
all the way to Montreal, that being the nearest 
market. 

William Bishop came to Canada m 1793. His 
son James settled on Lot No. 23, in the sth Con 
cession, where his grandson, William B., now 
resides. 

Abraham Cummings was an early settler, locating 
on Lot No. 17, in the 7th Concession. His grand 
son, Aaron, now resides on the homestead. 

Richard Baxter, an early settler, had four sons, 
David, Hiram, Joel, and John. Mr. Baxter settled 
on Lot No. 36, in the 6th Concession, having removed 
his family from the State of Vermont on an ox 
;leigh. The homestead is held by a descendant, 
William Baxter. 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE, 



161 



Among the prominent citizens of the Township 
were the Holdens (see the Holden Family), James 
Holden, the original pioneer, having seven sons. 
John, a son, located in Prescott. He was one of 
the first Councillors, and held many important 
positions. He married a daughter of the late Billa 
Flint. Erastus settled in Belleville. He married 
Margaret Hall. Dr. Rufus Holden married Mary 
Clement in 1830. He also settled in Belleville, and 
for many years served as a minister of the Gospel. 
Hiram married, in 1834, a daughter of Thomas 
Buck ; he settled in Shannonville. David married, 
in 1835, Jane, a daughter of the Rev. William Mc- 
Fadden. James, in 1836, married Chloe, daughter 
of Anthony Wood. Hester, in 1834, married Mer- 
rick Sawyer, and settled in Belleville. Mary married 
Erastus Couch ; Anna married John McMullan ; 
Eliza married Matthew Robinson, who retains the 
old homestead ; Saphronia married Colonel Wylie ; 
Lois married George E. Johnston, a well known 
merchant, of Prescott. 

William Scott and his two brothers came to 
Augusta at a very early date. William settled on 
Lots 7 and 8, in the 3rd Concession. He had two 
sons, Joseph and Francis. Joseph is now living on 
the homestead, aged 85 years. He has twelve 
children, and one hundred grand and great-grand 
children. Mr. Scott built a grist and saw mill on 
his farm. The mills were among the first erected 
in the Township. The barn in which the Methodists 
first held services in Augusta is yet standing in a 
good state of preservation. Mr. Scott can visit all 
his descendants in a two hours walk His children 
are : William, Eben, Francis, David, Joseph, Phoebe, 
Polly, Sally, Margaret, and Hannah. 

William Scott experienced many trials and priva 
tions in getting to Canada. The party, consisting 
of. himself, two brothers, and Joseph Knapp, were 
lost in the woods, and running out of provisions, 
they were compelled to kill their dogs, which were 
eaten. Becoming so weak that they were unable 
to walk, they crawled for three days on their hands 
and knees. Knapp being completely exhausted, 
laid down to die, but his companions kept on, and 
finally reached the settlement. Men went to the 
rescue of Knapp, and they were compelled to tie a 
blanket on two poles, and carry him to the nearest 
house. 

Robert Earl came to Canada about the year 1802, 
bringing with him seven sons who had arrived at 
man s estate. The sons were : William, Robert, 
Henry, Simon, Ephraim, Elisha, and Milbert. They 
were all staunch U. E. Loyalists, and served through 
the War of 1812. Ephraim is still living, at the 
advanced age of 91, his wife being 82. Mrs. Earl 



was Elizabeth, daughter of the late James Wickwire. 
Ephraim has the following family : Luther, Joseph, 
Wilbert, Isaac, Andres, Nelson, Sally, Melissa, Mary 
Ann, and Clarissa. 

James Wickwire settled in Augusta in 1803. His 
sons were : James, Philo, Derrick, John, Daniel, and 
William. 

Elisha Crippen settled on Lot No. 23, in the 5th 
Concsssion, in 1807. He had three sons Ethan, 
John, and Elisha. 

Duncan McLean (residing now in Elizabethtown), 
a U. E. Loyalist, came to Augusta in 1804. He 
located on Lot No. 28, in the 4th Concession. The 
homestead is owned by his grandson, a son of the 
late Robert McLean. 

The Srr.ades family, consisting, of four brothers, 
came to Canada in 1798, all being U. E. Loyalists. 
They settled on Lot No. 16, in the ist Concession. 
Samuel married a daughter of the late Levius Sher 
wood, and raised the following family : Elijah, 
James, Frederick, Sherwood, John, and Cyrus. The 
homestead is retained by a descendant of the 
family. 

John Lakins settled originally in the vicinity 
of the present Village of Merrickville. For two 
years he was compelled to carry his flour on his 
back from the St. Lawrence to his inland home. 
One of his sons, Zepheniah, lost his life while 
defending his country in 1812. Several of his 
daughters married residents of Augusta. 

TOWNSHIP OFFICERS, AUGUSTA, 1813. 

Samuel Heck, Town Clerk. 
James Keeler and S. Glassford, Assessors. 
Samuel Brown, Collector. 

Elijah Bottum and Oliver Everts, Town and 
Church Wardens. 

The following list contains all the patents of lands 
granted by the Crown in the Township of Augusta 
previous to January ist, 1803 : 

TOWNSHIP OF AUGUSTA. 



:: 

; 

. 

I 


Lot. 


Name of Grantee. 


Part of Lot. 


UJ 

OJ 

1 

600 
109 

112 
109 

I 10 

"5 

107 

222 
300 

101 
SCO 
IO3 


Date of Patent. 


ii 

4 
4 

5 

6 
6 
7 
*j 
9t 
9 

10 

ii 


Major Edward Jessup 
Lewis Mosheir 


All 

E l-2 

\V 1-2 
W Side 

El-2 
Wl-2 
E Side 
All 
( All ) 

\ El-2 i 
W 1-2 

All 

E 1-2 


May 271)1, 1797 

July i6th, 1797 
Sept. 4th, 1800 
July 1 5th, 1797 
May 27th, 1797 
June loth, 1801 
May 1 7th, 1802 
Aug. 8th, 1799 

June 3Oth, 1801 

May 1 7th, 1802 
Mar. loth, 1797 
Dec. i<tf. 1707 




Scrgt. Joseph Knapp . 
Corp. Nicholas Mosheir 




Samuel Sherwood. . . . 
Samuel Sherwood .... 


Thomas Krown ft al. . 
Caleb Clawson. . . 



i6z 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE, 



O 






TOWNSHIP OF AUGUSTA. 
( Continue J. ) 


TOWNSHIP OF AUGUSTA. 
(Continued.) 


a 

: 
_ 


Lot. 


Name of Grantee. 


Part of Lot. 


<D 
U 


Date of Patent. 




(J 


Lot. 


Name of Grantee. 


Part of Lot. 




Z 
u 

< 


Date of Patent. 


1 


,6 j 
2} 

2O 

21 
221 
2 3J 
23 
24 
25 
26 

27 
27 
S 2 

33 
33 
36 
36 | 

37 J 

:! 

4 
5 

6 
6 

7 

8-9 
13 
14 
5 
IS 
16 
18 

19 
20 

21 
22 
23 
23 
24 
26 

27 
27 
29 
32 
36 
36 

37 
3 

10 

ii 

3 
H 
5 
16 

I? 

22 

25 

33 
35 
36 
37 
i 

3 

7| 

8 
10 
ii 

12 

12 
14 
15 
17 
24 
25 
26 




, E 1-2 and ) 
Pt W 1-2 $ 

i All 

1 E 1-2 \ 
W 1-2 
W 1-2 

I All "I 

El-2 ) 
W 1-2 
El-2 
W 1-2 

All 

W 1-2 
El-2 
El-2 

S Side 

E 1-2 
El-2 
f Wl-2 
| All 

All 
El-2 

Pt 

E 1-7 
El-2 
Wl-2 
El-2 
W 1-2 

All 
All 

W 1-2 
E 1-2 
Wl-2 
All 

W 1-2 

All 

El-2 
W 1-2 

Pt 

Pt 

W 1-2 

All 
All 

W 1-2 
El-2 
El-2 

All 

El-2 

S Pt 

W 1-2 
El-2 
El-2 
W 1-2 

All 

W 1-2 

All 
All 
All 
W 1-2 
All 

E 1-2 
W 1-2 
E 1-2 
W 1-2 
Wl-2 

All 

( El-2 

Iig.?in6 
( &ptsini ) 

El-2 

All 

All 

W 1-2 
E 1-2 

All 
All 
All 
All 

All 

E 12 


86 
96 

3 
28 

3 

13 
14 

04 

30 
3 
14 
09 


May I7th, 1802 

Aug. 24th, 1796 

Sept. 4th, 1800 
une loth, 1801 

Aug. 8th, 1799 

May 1 7th, 1802 
une 3Oth, 1801 
Vpril 1 4th, 1798 
May I7th, 1802 
r eb. loth, 1797 
vlay I7th, 1802 
vlay 1 7th, 1802 
Dec. ist, 1797 
day I7th, 1802 
May I7th, 1802 
Aug. 24th, 1796 
Aug. 24th, 1796 

May 27th, 1797 

rtar. 1 2th, 1797 
uly 1 5th, 1797 
May 27th, 1797 
Sept. 1st, 1797 
uly loth, 1801 
Sept. ist, 1797 
Aug. loth, 1 80 1 


Ephraim Jones 


4 
5 

6 

7 
8 

9 


32 
34 { 
3S\ 
36 
37 
z 

4 

6 
7 
9 
10 

12 
13 
14 

16 

17 
17 
17 
19 

20 
21 

23 
24 
26 
28 
29 

33 
34 
1-2 

3 

: ! 

IO 

15 

16 

22 

24 
26 

27 
32 

33 
35 

i 

4 
8 

10 
12 

16 

21 

26 

28 

33 
35 
36-37 

2 

4 
6 

7 

10 
12 
13 

18 

23 
26 
28 
30 
32 
33 
36 
37 

2 

3 
4 

7 


David Bissell 


W 1-2 

1 W 1-2 
( All 

All 

El-2 

All 
All 
All 
W 1-2 

All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
S E 1-4 
N E 1-4 

W 1-2 

All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 

El-2 
All 
W 1-2 
All 
All 
All 
All 
( All, Ing. ) 
^ E^7in 4 V 
(&pt$iai ) 
All 
All 
All 

W 1-2 

All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 

W 1-2 

All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 
All 


IOO 
IOO 
200 
2OO 
IOO 
2OO 
200 
200 
IOO 
2OO 
2OO 
2OO 
200 
200 
200 
2OO 
5 

5 

IOO 
200 
20O 
2OO 
2OO 
2OO 
200 
IOO 
2OO 
IOO 
2OO 
400 
200 
200 

409 

200 
200 
2OO 
IOO 
200 
20O 
200 
2OO 
2OC 
200 
20C 
200 
2OO 
2OC 
200 
200 
2OO 
200 
2OO 
20O 
IOO 
400 
2OO 
2OO 
2OC 
2OC 
2OC 
200 
2OO 
200 
2OO 
2OO 
2OO 
2OO 
200 
200 
200 
2OO 
2CX 
. IX 
2OO 
2OO 


June loth, 1801 
Mar. 6th, 1798 
Mar. 6th, 1798 
May 1 7th, 1802 
June 30th, 1801 
Sept. ist, 1797 
April 5th, 1797 
July l6th, 1797 
Sept. 1st, 1797 
Dec. 2nd, 1802 
Sept. 1st, 1797 
May 1 7th, 1802 
Dec. Ist, 1797 
Mar. 1 2th, 1797 
Sept. ist, 1797 
Aug. 24th, 1796 
Aug. 24th, 1796 
Aug. 24th, 1796 
Aug. 24th, 1796 
Sept. 4th, 1800 
May I7th, 1802 
May I7th, 1802 
June loth, 1801 
July 1 5th, 1797 
Sept. ist, 1797 
May I7th, 1802 
May I7th, 1802 
May I7th, 1802 
June loth, 1801 
July 15th, 1797 
June 30th, 1801 
May I7th, 1802 

July I5th, 1797 

Mar. 26th, 1798 
June loth, 1801 
June 3oth, 1801 
May I7th, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 
April I4th, 1798 
May 1 7th, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 
April I4th, 1798 
June 1 2th, 1798 
May 27th, 1797 
Sept. ist, 1797 
Dec. 1st, 1797 
July l6th, 1797 
Mar. I2th, 1797 
Sept. ist, 1797 
Dec. 2nd, 1 802 
May I7th, 1802 
May I7th, 1802 
Mar. 1 2th, 1797 
May 1 7th, 1802 
Aug. 24th, 1796 
Sept. ist, 1797 
Mar. 26th, 1798 
Sept. 1st, 1797 
May I7th, 1802 
April 5th, 1797 
June 30th, 1801 
July loth, 1 80 1 
Dec. ist, 1797 
April I4th, 1798 
Dec. 3 ist, 1802 
Ang. loth, 1801 
June 30lh, 1801 
July i6th, 1797 
June loth, 1801 
May I7th, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 
July 1 5th, 1797 
May 2oth, 1802 
Sept. ist, 1797 
July 151)1, 1797 






Joseph White 






Obadiah Reid . . 




5enoni Wilsea 
Villiam Wells 




Lytle Glassford 


Daniel Jones 




Daniel Nettleton 


Corp. Abijah Hawley . . 
ilijah Bottum 
David Brakenridge .... 
Asa Landon 


Daniel Jones 
Joseph Bass 


James Chambers 


Thomas Barton 


"aleb Clawson 


08 

IOO 
IOO 

200 

000 

IOO 
IOO 
IOO 
IOO 
IOO 
IOO 
00 

400 

2OO 
IOO 
IOC 
IOC 
2OO 
IOO 
200 
IOO 
IOO 

ii2 

2OC 
20C 
IOO 
IOO 
IOO 
200 
IOC 
IOC 
IOC 
IOC 
IOC 
IOC 
2OC 
IOC 
20C 
20C 
2OC 
IOC 
ZCX 
IOC 
IOC 
IOC 
IOC 
IOC 

200 

409 

IOC 

2OC 
20C 
IOC 
IOO 
20O 
2OO 
2OO 
2OQ 
20C 
IOO 


iphraim Jones 
Solomon Jones, Esq . . 
ustus Sherwood, Esq.. 
Ephraim Jones, Esq. . . 


Lt. Alexander Campbell 
Major Edward Jessup.. 


Rice Honeywell ... . 
Dan. Troop, Sr 
David Bissell 
Dr. James Walker 
Abraham Smeddis .... 


Vathaniel Corbin 
Corp. Nicholas Mosheir 
ohn Loup 


lezekiah Mosheir.... 


Wm. Glassford 


Daniel Spicer 
^evius P. Sherwood . . 
ames Campbell 


_aleb Clawson 
David Bissell 


June 3Oth, 1801 
vlay I7th, 1802 
May I7th, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 
Aug. 241)1, 1796 
May I7th, 1802 
Aug. 24th, 1796 
Aug. 8th, 1799 
Aug. 8th, 1799 
May I7th, 1802 
Aug. loth, 1801 
May 1 7th, 1802 
Sept. 1st, 1797 
May 1 7th, 1802 
[une 30th, 1801 
May 1 7th, 1802 
May 1 7th, 1802 
Aug. 24th, 1796 
Aug. 24th, 1796 
Sept. 4th, 1 800 
June loth, 1801 
May 1 7th, 1802 
[tine loth, 1801 
May 1 7th, 1802 
May I7th, 1802 
[une loth, 1801 
Sept. ist, 1797 
Sept. 4th, 1 800 
July loth, 1801 
vlay 1 7th, 1802 
Dec. ist, 1797 
[une 30th, 1801 
vlay 1st, 1798 
Sept. 1st, 1797 
vlay 1 7th, 1602 

[uly 1 5th, 1797 

vlay 1 7th, 1802 
vlay I7th, 1802 
Vlay 1 7th, 1802 
\lay I7th, 1802 
Vlar. 23th, 1800 
[une 3Oth, 1801 
May 1 7th, 1802 

viUj 1 / Lil, lo^_ 

A ly I / ih, iboi 
) c. 3ist, 1802 
.fay i?th, 1802 


Dr. James Walker. . . . 
Moses Holibert 


loswell Everts 


Rice Honeywell 
Sergt. Joseph Knapp . . 




Jttle Glassford, 


iphraim Jones 
iartholomew Carley . . 




John Heck 


Solomon Jones 


Benoni Wiltsea 


Soloman Jones 


Henry Cross 




Rosseter Hoyle 
Levins P. Sherwood . . 


Elijah Bottum 




Asa Landon tt al. . . . 


Elijah Bottum 
James Chambers 




Philemon Pennock .... 
Daniel Dunham 
Lt. Alexander Campbel 
Lt. Alexander Campbel 
Samuel Weatherhead . 
Elisha Baker 


[ames Chambers 


Wm Root 




Daniel Nettleton 






John Heck 






Alexander Campbell . 
Lt. Alexander Campbell 






[ohn Lawrence. ..... 
Archibald Mcllmoyle. 
James Keeler 


Samuel Landon 
Abraham Smeddis . - 


Caleb Clawson 






Moses Holibtrt 


Moses Reid 


Caleb Clawsor 




Thomas Day 




David Fell 


\sel Hard 


Sergt. Joseph Knap]). 

Rice Honeywell 
[oseph Bass 


Bartholomew Carley . . 


The Widow Brown 
David Bisell 


Rosseter Hoyle 
Edward Jessup, Jr. ... 
Israel Thompkins. . . . 




Koswell Nettleton . . . 
Unwell Nettleton .. 
Samuel Sherwood 
Oliver Everts 


John .Smith 
Dr. Tames Walker. . . . 


Elizabeth Duck 


None in loth and nth Concessions. 


Levins P. Sherwood. 
Levins P. Sherwood. . 






HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE, 



1*3 



REMINISCENCES OF 1837-38. 

The following anecdotes were furnished by a 
newspaper correspondent : 

Cornwall was the centre of the forces in the 
Eastern District, and although all were willing to 
be soldiers, few knew how, and many a laugh the 
" knowing ones " had at the expense of the " green." 
There were two independent companies raised in 
Cornwall by volunteers, and as the works on the 
canal then in progress were suspended, most of the 
laborers volunteered : so we had a motley crew in 
said companies, from the negro who came by the 
" underground railway," to the Frenchman who 
fought under Bonaparte, was taken prisoner by 
Wellington, joined the British, and afterwards 
fought against Bonaparte. There were also de 
serters from the United States army and navy. 
The barrack scenes sometimes were often such as 
Burns says " to name would be unlawful." But I 
may mention one : 

Two old topers being "half seas over" one night 
when the company was on picket, fell asleep on 
bunks on opposite sides of the room. One who 
was ready for a lark took pipe clay and made both 
faces white as chalk, and then woke them They 
soon observed each other, the one pointing at the 
other, not knowing his own was as bad, and a more 
laughable scene I never saw than the comic stare 
of each white face at the other, causing roars of 
laughter through the room. 

One of the green ones " was placed on sentry, 
with orders how to act when the " field officer of 
the day " came. On the approach of any person 
the sentry will port arms, and call out in a sharp 
tone, "Who comes there ?" If it is the field officer 
of the day, he will answer, "Rounds;" the sentry 
will demand, "What rounds?" and after the reply, 
"Grand rounds." when there is no countersign, he 
will say, " Pass, grand rounds, all s well." After 
getting all the instructions, say Pat : "Shure every 
won cud do that." It was not long before Pat heard 
some one coming. " Who come there ? " says he. 
" Rounds," was the answer. " Och, then, fire away, 
rounds, for, by japers, I ve as many rounds as yees, 
an I knows where to get more." 

On another occasion, when the officer came to the 
sentry, he was not challenged. So he walked up to 
the sentry, and took his musket from him, and said, 
"You re a nice soldier to allow me to take your 
arms from you!" "Shure now, Colonel, an don t 
I know you, an would I be afther refusing to give 
it to a gentleman like yerself ?" 

We had an extra character, Hiram Barnhart, who 
is still living in Roxborough, I think. Hiram was 
on guard in front of the guard house. His duty 



was when he saw the field officer of the day coming, 
to call, "Guard turn out." Colonel V. had a very 
large hog, which ran at large, and was the wonder 
of every one for his size. Hiram calls at the top of 
his voice, so that all in the street for some distance 
could hear him : " Guard turn out." Out came the 
guard, formed into line, and with the officer were 
ready to "present arms," but could see no one to 
salute. " Where is the officer of the day ?" demanded 
the officer on duty. There he is," said Hiram, 
pointing to the hog as he was marching past them. 
Of course Hiram was punished, but he did not 
care, as he was well repaid by the laugh he heard 
on all sides at the time ; and before night there were 
few in town who did not hear of it. 

We used to drill in a large field below the town, 
and after a heavy fall of snow, it was no easy work 
tramping three or four hours through the snow, and 
Hiram would get rid of it in some shape if possible. 
One morning, the company was being inspected at 
the barracks before going to parade. We used flint 
guns then, and the pan had to be open for inspection. 
When the captain came to Hiram, his pan was shut. 
" Why don t you open your pan ? " said the officer. 
" O, that s my tobacco box ! " said H., as he opened 
it, and showed a large quid of tobacco. It is need 
less to say that Hiram was walked off to the guard 
house, where he could sit by the stove instead of 
tramping snow. I could give many more stories 
about Hiram, but this will suffice. 

All the regiments in town went to the field for 
general parade every forenoon ; but one Colonel, 
more anxious than the rest to have his men perfect 
in their drill, took his regiment down in the after 
noon. After a few weeks, the men showed by their 
actions they did not like it, and would not obey the 
word of command, and the longer the worse, until 
one day the Colonel got out of patience with them, 
and called out : " You act like a parcel of ignorant 
Irishmen." As there were a good many from the 
" Emerald Isle " in the regiment, the others took 
advantage of it, and began twitting them ; and, as 
there was some Dutch blood in the Colonel, the 
Irish jumped out of the ranks, and hallooed, " Fetch 
on your Dutch ! Fetch on your Dutch ! " The 
Colonel soon saw his mistake, and with the Major 
and Adjutant, who were both Irish, had all he could 
do to restore order, saying to them, " Is not my wife 
Irish ? " and, " Have I not at all times been a friend 
to the Irish? "etc. The afternoon drill was con 
tinued for a short time, then dropped to two or 
three times a week, and at length it was stopped 
altogether. 

Thus I might go on enumerating incidents of this 
kind for a week, but will finish with one more that 



164 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



has just come to my recollection. There was a 
great deal of drinking going on, and the hard cases 

would be hard up before " pay day." One D , 

said he would go out and run his face for a quart. 
All said he could not get credit for a quart in town. 
"I ll make a bet that I ll get it," said he. So the bet 
was taken, and away he went with a half gallon jug, 
and when he went to the pump, he half filled it with 
water. He went into the first store, asked for a 
quart of rum, and when it was put into the jug, he 
said : "I ll pay you on pay day." " No you won t," 
says the shop-keeper. " O, you may as well let me 
have it," said D , " I got a quart from So and 
So, and you might trust me for one." " No, I can t 
do it." So out came the quart, leaving what was in 
the jug half rum. The same game was played in 

two or three other places, until D came to the 

barrack with the needful, and gained his bet, which 
was paid in more rum. 

THE BELLAMY FAMILY. 

Samuel J. Bellamy came from Vergennes, Vermont, 
in 1819, and shortly after purchased 400 acres of 
land in Augusta, from a man named Dunham. The 
property contained a mill privilege on the south 
branch of the Rideau, and the site of the present 
village of North Augusta. Mr. Bellamy at once 
proceeded to erect a grist mill, it being the first 
mill of that description built in the Township. In 
his enterprise he was assisted by his brothers, 
Edward, Hiram, and Chauncey. At that time, 
there was but one house within the limits of the 
present village, and the saw mill purchased from 
Dunham. The mill stones were taken from a 
quarry near Brockville, and were with great difficulty 
removed to the mill site. In 1824, they commenced 
custom grinding, and also cloth dressing works. 
Samuel Bellamy, in the same year, bought a mill 
site in the Township of Ramsey, and in company 
with Edward Bellamy, erected a saw and grist 
mill on the new property. In 1835, Chauncey 
Bellamy removed to the Township of Yonge, and 
built mills at a place now known as Dickens. 
Hiram Bellamy died in 1842, leaving to his son his 
interest in the property. 

Samuel J. Bellamy was one of the first members 
of the Counties Council. He was also a Justice of 
the Peace. In 1821, he married Anna, daughter of 
John Blanchard, of Elizabethtown, by whom he had 
three sons and three daughters, viz.: John Blanchard, 
Archibald Wait, Luther Hall, Abigail, Nancy Ann, 
and Mary Ann. Abigail married John M. Haskin, 
of Almonte ; Nancy married William Walker ; and 
Mary Ann married James B. Dowling. John B. 
married Margaret Gem mill, in 1847, bv whom he 



has had one son, Samuel J., Surveyor of the Port of 
Prescott. Margaret, his wife, died in 1856, and, in 
1860, he married Diantha V; Kellog. 

Archibald Wait Bellamy married Anastitia Bart- 
lett, and in 1863 purchased the Yonge Mills, to which 
place he removed, continuing the business until his 
death in 1866. 

Luther Hall Bellamy married Marion A. Merrick 
in 1860, and settled in North Augusta. 

Anna, wife of Samuel J. Bellamy, Sr., died in 1834 ; 
he married again in 1837. 

The Bellamy brothers, shortly after the erection of 
the mill, established a distillery, pot and pearl ash 
works and also the first store opened at North 
Augusta. In 1839, a P ost office was opened at 
the mills,. Samuel J. being appointed the first post 
master. 

John B. Bellamy occupies an extensive farm near 
the village, and in 1875 erected the residence shown 
in the accompanying illustration. 

JOHN CHAPMAN. 

William Chapman, a native of Wexford, Ireland, 
came to Canada in 1813, settling in Elizabethtown 
on Lot No. 4, in the 7th Concession, where he died. 
He had one son, Benjamin, who remained on the 
homestead. Benjamin raised a family of nine 
children, viz : William, Edward, Thomas, John, 
Benjamin, Albert, Nelson ; Jane married Walter 
Percival ; Ann married William Dent. 

John Chapman was born in Elizabethtown. He 
taught school successfully for several years and 
entered upon the mercantile business at North 
Augusta in the spring of 1863. He has long been a 
member of the Municipal Council, for four years 
being elected Deputy Reeve, holding important posi 
tions on the Committees of the Counties Council. 
In 1868, he married Florence Amelia, daughter of 
Isaiah Wright, of Algonquin. Mr. Chapman is agent 
for the Montreal Telegraph Company, Post Master, 
a Commissioner for taking affadavits in the Queen s 
Bench ; he also conducts a large conveyancing busi 
ness. (See view of residence.) 

GEORGE HOUGH. 

Mr. Hough resides on Lot No. 31, of the gth Con 
cession of Augusta. He was born in England, in 
1811, his father emigrating to Canada in 1819, 
removing to Augusta in 1823, where he purchased 
300 acres of land. 

In 1840, George married Mary Ann, daughter of 
the late John Wallace, the latter being also an 
English emigrant. Mrs. Plough has borne her hus 
band two children. 

John Hougl\ died in 1848, in the 7oth year of his 
age, his wife dying the previous year. John Hough 






RESIDENCE OF JAMES MILLAR. 




RESIDENCE OF EDWARD S. THOMAS, MALLORYTOWN. 




RESIDENCE OF JOHN B. BELLAMY, NORTH AUGUSTA. 





JOHN BUCKLEY. 



H. D. JESSUP. 




JOHN DUMBRILLE 





HIRAM McCREA. 



N. H. BEECHER. 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



165 



raised a family of ten children, John W. and Thomas 
settling in Elizabethtown, Samuel and George loca 
ting in Augusta. The other members of the family 
icmoved from the United Counties. When John 
Hough settled at North Augusta but one acre of 
land had been cleared in that locality ; a saw-mill 
had been erected by one Dunham, it being the 
property afterwards purchased by the Bellamy 
brothers. 

In 1871, Mr. George Hough erected his present 
residence (shown in illustration.) Mr. Hough s 
family : Alfred, who resides in Prescott ; Martha 
Ann, wife of F. B. Johnston, of Augusta ; John, 
George, Joseph, Laura Ellen, Sarah E., Minnie J., 
Ida E., and Christie V. 

JOHN DUMBRILLE. 

Mr. Dumbrille was born in the County of Sussex, 
England, in the year 1821, being a descendant of an 
Huguenot family that settled in England about two 
centuries since. On his arrival in Canada in 1852, 
Mr. Dumbrille was appointed agent for the Grand 
Trunk Railway at Maitland, a position which he 
held for about six years. He also engaged in the 
mercantile business in the village, and purchased a 
farm, which he subsequently disposed of, owing to 
rapidly increasing business. Taking a deep interest 
in the defence of the country, he received a commis 
sion as ensign in the 2nd Grenville Battalion in 1858, 
and in 1861 was promoted to lieutenant, the com 
mission of which he still holds. A Liberal Conser 
vative in politics, his education and business habits 
fitted him for the discharge of public business, and 
in 1874 he was elected Reeve of Augusta, retaining 
the position to the present time. 

In 1876, he was chosen Warden of the United 
Counties of Leeds and Grenville, and as presiding 
officer discharged the duties which devolved upon 
him with zeal, impartiality, and ability. 

At the general election of 1878, Mr. Dumbrille was 
chosen by the Liberal Conservatives of South Gren 
ville to contest the constituency for the House of 
Commons. After one of the most exciting and 
hotly contested elections ever held in Central 
Canada, he was defeated by only twenty-five votes. 

At the present time he is postmaster of Maitland, 
agent for the Montreal Telegraph Company, licensed 
druggist, a Justice of the Peace, and a Commissioner 
for taking affidavits, at the same time conducting 
an extensive mercantile business. For many years 
Mr. Dumbrille has been a prominent member of the 
Masonic Order. 

THE VANORNAM FAMILY. 
Richard Vanornam came to Canada in 1790, from 
Vermont, and erected a tannery and hotel where the 



present village of Maitland stands, carrying on busi 
ness during the War of 1812-15. Richard s father 
served under D Eskau in the Indian war. Two of 
his sons were captains of American privateers ; one 
was killed by Algerine pirates, and the other died 
in Bologne prison, in France. The remaining 
children were Gideon, James, Lyman, William G., 
Minerva, Sally, and Ann. Gideon married Catherine, 
sister of David D.Jones; Lyman resides at Ashtabula, 
Ohio ; William married Maria Phillips. William s 
sons were Howard, who died in Peru ; W. S., died 
in Chicago, and Alpheus, who lives near Maitland. 
A daughter, Ann, married J. S. Jones, of Maitland. 
Margaret married John Brady, of Long Point. 



CHAPTER XL. 

MISCELLANEOUS. 
THE JOHNS FAMILY. 

Among the early settlers of Elizabethtown was 
Reuben Miller Johns, who settled in the 5th Con 
cession. Mr. Johns was accompanied by his brother 
Eldad, who afterwards removed to Western Canada. 
Reuben M. Johns had three children, Dorcas, Alden, 
and Mirza. 

Alden married four times, his first wife being 
Eliza A. Keeler, of Lansdowne. The issue by this 
marriage was Laura, who married George H. Snell ; 
Charles J., of Brockville, and Eliza Ann. Alden s 
second wife was Minerva Burritt, of Augusta ; 
issue : Mary L., who married Thomas Mehan. 
Alden s third wife was Amarilla Keeler, sister of 
his first wife ; no issue. On the death of his third 
wife, he married Catherine, relict of Joseph Mc- 
Laughlin. Mrs. Johns survived her husband, and 
is now the wife of Eri Hayes. 

Mirza Johns married Miss Elizabeth Manhard ; 
children: Alonzo, who married Sarah Forrester; 
Eunice, who married Samuel Walker; and Unitta, 
unmarried. 

THE HUTTON FAMILY. 

AND 

GEORGE HUTTON. 

William Hutton was one of the early pioneers of 
the Rideau, settling on a broken front a short dis 
tance north of Easton s Corners. Mr. Hutton was 
for many years a steward of the Wesleyan Methodist 
Church, and was widely known as a liberal supporter 
of missionary and other enterprises of a kindred 
nature. Mr. Hutton raised the following family : 
John ; Joseph, who married a sister of Adam Foster 
for his first, and Lydia Ferguson for his second 
wife ; Lydia, married the Rev. Mr. Spencer ; Jane, 



i66 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



Henry, George ; Thomas, married Miss Logan, of 
Brockville ; and Russell B. 

George Huston married Miss Hall, of Elizabeth- 
town. Mr. Hutton occupies the homestead, and is 
one of the leading and prosperous farmers of the 
Township of Wolford. 

THE McCREA FAMILY, 
IN MONTAGUE. 

This family of United Empire Loyalists was 
originally from Stillwater, New York, but removed 
to Canada at a very early date. Samuel McCrea 
was accompanied by his sons, the family receiving a 
large grant of land from the government. The 
McCreas first located in Augusta, where James 
remained until his death. 

Samuel, John, Edward, and Thomas settled in 
Montague, while Alexander, after a short residence 
at Burritt s ^ Rapids, removed to the vicinity of 
Easton s Corners. 

John occupied Lot No. 12, in the ist Concession 
of Montague. He was born in 1777, and married 
Phcebe Edmunds. His son, John, Jr., married 
Louisa Spencer, and resides on a part of the original 
homestead. John, Sr., cut the first road leading 
from Montague to Perth, and for many years he 
was employed by the Scotch settlers to convey them 
to the banks of the Tay. At that time the only 
store in Merrickville was kept by John L. Reed, who 
supplied the new comers, not only of Montague, but 
also of Perth. Mr. McCrea at one time carried on 
his back, from Brockville to Montague, the following 
articles : The flour from one bushel of wheat, one 
broad axe, one set of drag teeth, and one log chain. 
Upon one occasion he was compelled to proceed to 
Montreal to secure a supply of salt. On his way 
home, his horses fell through the ice. Mr. McCrea 
swam around the team, and finally got them out. 
Proceeding to the shore, he was fortunate enough 
to find a brand of fire, left by some parties who had 
camped by the roadside : the result was that the 
hardy pioneer was saved from perishing. 

Mr. Edward McCrea, who resides on a part of the 
original grant, is a gentleman possessing an elegant 
residence. He is an active Justice of the Peace, and 
one of the most influential and prosperous farmers 
of Montague. 

Sylvester McCrea, son of Thomas, resides on Lot 
No. 3, in the ist Concession of Montague, his father 
having occupied the lot now held by the son. 
Thomas McCrea married Sarah Lake, and after 
her demise, Sophia Holmes, the sister of Richard 
Holmes, of Kitley. His children by his first 
wife were Samuel ; and Elizabeth, who married R. 
Burrows ; by his second wife : Thomas, Sophia, 



Ninian ; Caroline, who married William Cowan 
County Treasurer of Ottawa ; Adeline, married 
Alfred Derrick ; Sarah ; Jennett, married Burrett 
Thomas ; and Sylvester. 

Sylvester was born December I4th, 1826, and 
married Sarah, daughter of Daniel Knapp. 

Thomas McCrea, Sr., was appointed a captain of 
the 3rd Regiment of Grenville Militia, in 1840, by 
Sir George Arthur. At a period subsequent to this 
he was an ensign of a flank company of the 2nd 
Regiment of Grenville. 

Ninian McCrea, son of Thomas, was born January 
28th, 1822. He married Polly, daughter of Israel 
Knapp, of Lake Loyada, in the Township of Yonge. 
Ninian resides on Lot No. 2, of the ist Concession 
of Montague. 

DANIEL H. BURRITT. 

Mr. Burritt was born June 2gth, 1804, on Lot No. 
25, in the ist Concession of Marlborough, and resides 
upon the homestead. In 1832, he married Esther 
Young, daughter of Adaniram Young, of Marl- 
borough. Mr. Young was one of the British 
soldiers who engaged in the battle at Queenston 
Heights. Mr. Burritt has raised the following 
family : Amelia ; Lucius, married Jennett Laird ; 
Edwin, who married Melinda Black ; also William 
Henry, who lives with his father. Mr. Burritt is 
one of the oldest surviving pioneers of the Rideau. 

JAMES THOMPSON. 

James Thompson was born January ist, 1798, in 
the County of Stirling, Scotland. In 1801, his father 
and family emigrated to Canada, settling first in 
Lower Canada, but removing to the District of 
Johnstown in 1807. They found a permanent home 
in Escott, in which municipality Mr. Thompson 
continued to reside up to the date of his death, 
February 7th, 1879. At the age of fifteen, Mr. 
Thompson joined the^ militia, and surved during 
the War of 1812, being present at the capture of 
Ogdensburg. The ability of Mr. Thompson was 
repeatedly recognized by the electors, who made 
him a representative in the old District Council, 
and subsequently in the Counties Council. He 
also held the office of Justice of the Peace for 
many years. 

HARMONY LODGE, No. i, I. O. G. T. 
MERRICKVILLE. 

This Lodge was organized October 28th, 1853, the 
charter members being Stephen H. Merrick and 
wife, Robert Riddell and wife, John Cranston, Alex. 
McGee, Thomas J. Graffe, Richard Hanna, John 
Mills, J. C. Lonsdale and wife, Ransom Stone and 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



167 



wife, Miss B. Riddell, C. Leggo, Jr., Lydia A. Leggo, 
H. N. Church, D. Wickwire, Benjamin Mills, John 
Kelly, John McGee, M. Keenan, Thomas Johnston, 
and P. Deming. The Lodge is one of the oldest 
in Central Canada. 



CHAPTER XLI. 

FIRST SETTLEMENT OF GRENVILLE ORIGIN 
OF PRESCOTT. 

THE JESSUP FAMILY. 

" Ecelesiar . -Regi," and " Legi Fidelis," is the motto 
upon the crest of the Jessup family, a family whose 
history is intimately blended with the first settle 
ment upon the northern bank of the St. Lawrence ; 
whose patriotism and loyalty to the British Crown 
has few parallels, and whose devotion to the old flag 
has never been surpassed. 

Edward Jessup, major commandant of a Colonial 
corps, which was known as the " Loyal American 
Regiment," was born in the Parish of Stamford, in the 
County of Fairfield, State of Connecticut, in the 
year 1735. He was the son of Joseph Jessup, who 
died in Montreal in 1779, and grandson of Edward 
Jessup, who emigrated from England at the close of 
the Eighteenth Century, and settled in the Colony 
of New York. At the breaking out of the Revolu 
tionary War, Major Jessup and his family resided 
at the City of Albany, New York, where he was 
extensively engaged in business, and in the posses 
sion of a tract of 500,000 acres of land, it being a 
grant from the Crown, a full description of which 
is found in the Documentary History of New York, 
under the title of " Jessup s Patent." A staunch 
Loyalist, Major Jessup promptly sacrificed his for 
tune by taking up arms for the King, and entering 
upon the struggle for the maintenance of British 
supremacy in the revolting colonies. With his 
corps, he joined the army under Burgoyne, who 
was then marching upon Ticondiroga (1777), and 
continued in the service until the close of hostilities. 
Dr. Jessup, of Prescott, is the possessor of a docu 
ment signed by General Burgoyne, in which he 
bears testimony to the zeal and efficiency of the 
services rendered by Major Jessup during the 
campaign. 

After the defeat of Burgoyne, the major proceeded 
to Canada with his corps, which then became known 
as "Jessup s Rangers." They were first stationed 
at I&le_aix Noix, and subsequently at St. Dennis, 
St. Charles, River du Chine, Vercheres, and Sorel. 
When peace was declared in 1783, large tracts of 
land were granted by the Crown to the officers and 
men, who, accompanied by their families, in the 



spring of 1784, proceeded up the St. Lawrence in 
a brigade of boats, thus commencing the settlement 
of Leeds and Grenville, Addington, and the Bay of 
Quinte. 

After completing the location of his men, Major 
Jessup proceeded to England, where he remained 
for several years. When he returned to Canada 
with his family, he settled in the Township of 
Augusta, County of Grenville, selecting Lots Nos. 
i, 2, and 3, in the ist Concession, they having been 
granted to him by the Crown. 

In the year 1810, the major had a town plot sur 
veyed, on the front of Lots Nos. 2 and 3, in the ist 
Concession, which he named Prescott, in honor of 
a distinguished British officer of that name. 

Immediately after the survey had been completed, 
Major Jessup built a school house (the building yet 
stands, and is in a good state of preservation), and 
also a residence for the teachei. Previous to that 
date, the present site of Prescott contained only 
three houses : the residence of Major Jessup, the 
residence of his son, and a house which he had 
built for the manager of his farm. The last men 
tioned house is still standing on Water Street, 
opposite the market house. 

At the close of the war, the major and the officers 
of the Royal Rangers were placed upon the half- 
pay list, and thus partially compensated for their 
service. 

Among the marks of royal favor which this dis 
tinguished officer and pioneer received, was his 
appointment by special commission on the iSth of 
May, 1780, as administrator of the oath of allegiance ; 
by special commission in 1783, he was appointed a 
Justice of the Peace for the Province of Quebec ; in 
1788, he became Lieutenant-Colonel Commandant 
of the Militia in Edvvardsburg, Augusta, and Eliza- 
bethtown. His commission as Major Commandant 
of the Royal Rangers bears the date November 
I2th, 1781. 

He died at Prescott in February, 1816, at the 
advanced age of Si years. His life was spent in 
the defence of crown and country, in creating a 
new empire, under the old flag, upon the northern 
bank of the St. Lawrence, in fostering British 
institutions, and carving out of the primeval forest 
homes for future generations, who, inheriting the 
spirit of the gallant " Ranger," 

"Would scorn to bend a knee." 

Edward Jessup, only son of Major Jessup, was 
born in the City of Albany, Province of New York. 
He was a lieutenant in the Royal Rangers, com 
manded by his father, and after the close of the 
Revolutionary War was placed on the half-pay list. 



1 68 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



He visited England with his father, and with him 
returned to Canada, settling on the present site of 
Prescott. 

He was elected representative for the Eastern 
District in the Legislative Assembly of the Province. 
In January, 1800, he was appointed by Lieutenant- 
Governor Hunter,Clerk of the Peace for the District 
of Johnstown. Lieutenant-Governor Gore, in 1809, 
issued to him a commission as Lieutenant-Colonel 
of the ist Regiment of Leeds Militia. Mr. Jessup 
died at Prescott in the year 1815, leaving a wife and 
seven children. 

PRESCOTT. 

This important town was founded by Colonel 
Edward Jessup, the place being laid out in town 
lots in 1810, the present fort (Wellington) standing 
upon the homestead of the original pioneer. 

The oldest house is owned by the Buckley brothers, 
it being one of the three buildings first erected by 
the Colonel. Within its walls the plans were laid 
for the capture of Ogdensburg, in the War of 1812, 
and for some time it served as officers headquarters. 

In 1810, William Gilkinson purchased four plots, 
where the centre of the town now stands. Mr. 
Gilkinson built a wharf and warehouse, and entered 
actively upon business as a forwarder. 

The place soon assumed an important position, 
in consequence of its being situated at the head of 
the rapids, and at the lowest point upon the river 
to which large boats could be brought with safety. 

Among the early forwarders were McMillan, Mc 
Lean & Co., Averell & Hooker, McPherson & Crane, 
and Timothy Buckley. 

In 1834, the place was incorporated, public affairs 
being under the control of a Board of Police. The 
first Board comprised the following gentlemen : 
Alex. McMillan, President ; Thomas Eraser, John 
Holden, Moses Murphey, and Timothy Buckley. 
R. Headlam, Clerk. 

The following remarkable memorandum has been 
preserved among the town records in reference to 

the first seal : 

MEMO. 

"That it seems an undoubted fact that the handle of this corpora- 
" tion Seal, mentioned above, has been formed from a part of a yew 
"tree in which Mary Queen of Scots sat to witness the battle of 

" ; and which has been imported by Mr. McDougall, an 

"intelligent mechanic, now residing in this place." 

In 1847, the Board of Police gave place to the 
Town Council, the Mayor being then elected by the 
Council. The first mayor elected by the people was 
Major B. White, who also occupied the civic chair 
in 1852-55-59. 

The appearance of the town from the river is that 
of decay and ruin, but behind crumbling walls and 



dilapidated warehouses the town hides a smiling 
face. The principal street boasts a beautiful Town 
Hall, erected some four years since, at a cost of 
$40,000. Near at hand is a commodious market 
and engine house, fitted with the latest conveniences. 
Several fine business blocks grace the street, which 
would be a credit to any city. Many of the private 
residences are models of taste and architectural 

beauty. 

FORT WELLINGTON. 

This fortification was built in 1812, and during 
the war was strongly garrisoned. It was the objec 
tive point in the campaign of 1838, the intention 
being to seize and retain it as a centre from which 
the army of invasion was to be dispatched. The 
original building was of timber, but it was rebuilt 
in stone in 1837-8. The entrance is by a massive 
gateway, on the north side. On the south there is 
an earth-covered stone sally-port. The fort proper 
is surrounded by an earthwork, the sides of the 
parapet being protected by cedar posts, sharpened 
at the projecting point. Four pieces of cannon 
formerly furnished the principal defence, one being 
planted at each corner of the enclosure. The lower 
part of the fort is furnished with vaulted chambers 
for storing arms and ammunition. 

The entire structure appears to have been built 
in imitation of the original French outposts, when 
the enemy consisted of savages. With modern 
appliances of warfare, it would not be tenable for 
troops within the range of a single mortar. 

THE WINDMILL. 

This structure, situated on Windmill Point, a 
short distance below the town, and known to all 
readers of Canadian history in consequence of the 
important part it played in the battle fought 
between the invaders and the loyal Canadians in 
the year 1838, was erected by a West India merchant 
named Hughes, in 1822. Several buildings of a 
similar character were at an early date built upon 
the banks of the St. Lawrence, but were soon super- 
ceded by mills driven by water power. In 1873, it 
was converted into a light house. 

Among the first municipal officers of Prescott were 
the following : James Newman, Asahel Geralds, Jr., 
Michael Hartnett, and John Hallam, Bailiffs ; Alex. 
McMillan, Collector ; Patrick W T elsh, Poundkeeper. 
In 1835, R. Headlam held the offices of Clerk, Trea 
surer, Assessor, and Collector, Thomas Fraser being 
at that time President of the Board of Police. 

The first Town Council : 

B. White, Mayor. 

James Sweeney, William Dunn, Joseph Cowan, 
Alex. Smith, and Alex. McMillan, Councillors. 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



169 



The population of the town at the time of its 
incorporation was about 2,500. 

MAYORS OF PRESCOTT. 

B. White, Mayor in 1851. 

7!. White 1852. 

1!. White 1855. 

J.H. Jessup 1856. 

J . H. Jessup 1857. 

Matthew Gray 1858. 

B. White 1859. 

J. H. Jessup 1860. 

J. H. Jessup 1861. 

\V. H. Brouse 1862. 

Stephen B. Merrill 1863. 

W.Ellis 1864. 

J. II. Jessup 1865. 

McNeil Clark 1866. 

McNeil Clark 1867. 

James Irvvine 1868. 

James Irwine 1 869. 

James Irwine 1870. 

James Irwine 1871. 

William Patrick 1872. 

James Irwine 1873. 

James Irwine 874- 

William Dunn 1875. 

John Buckley 1876. 

John Buckley 1877. 

John Buckley 1878. 

John Buckley 1879 

B. WHITE. 

The present Town Clerk, Major White, was born 
in Ireland in 1819, and emigrated to the Township 
of Williamsburg in 1841, removing to Prescott in 
1845. At home, Mr. White was a schoolmate of the 
Hon. T. W. Anglin, late Speaker of the House of 
Commons. Mr. White married Elizabeth, daughter 
of the late Timothy Buckley. Joining the volunteers 
in 1857, he was called out for frontier duty in 1862, 
acting as Major of the Provisional Battalion in 1866. 
In 1872 he was created a Lieutenant-Colonel. 

SOLOMON SNYDER. 

William Snyder was a native of Johnstown, in the 
State of New York ; his wife was Ruth Crandall. 
During the Revolution, he joined the army of Bur- 
goyne, but before the close of the war removed to 
Canada. Mrs. Snyder, on receiving intimation that 
the Indians had been commissioned by the Conti 
nental authorities to slaughter all the Loyalists, 
determined to join her husband in the Province of 
Ouebec. With her family, consisting of William, 
aged 16, three young daughters, and two infants, 
she set out on her perilous journey, proceeding on 
foot through the woods. The infants died on the 
way, and were buried in a shallow grave ; but ere 
the heart-broken mother had proceeded half a mile, 

she heard the wolves fighting over the remains of 

22 



the dear departed. William Snyder, Jr., settled in 
Matilda, where he died. He received a commission 
as lieutenant in the British army, but owing to a 
severe accident, did not enter upon active duty. 

His son, Solomon, was born on the homestead in 
Matilda in 1785. Solomon married Isabella Monroe, 
daughter of a U. E. Loyalist, and in the War of 1812 
received a lieutenant s commission. He was prin 
cipally employed in the Secret Service during the 
campaign, but at the capture of Ogdensburg he 
commanded a company. At the close of the war 
he was appointed Consul at St. Augustine, Florida, 
where he died in 1825. Of his family, Ruth C. 
married Asahel Gerald, of Prescott. 

ASAHEL GERALD. 

Asahel Gerald, the pioneer of the Gerald family 
in America, came to Massachusetts during the Revo 
lution, from the north of Ireland. Removing to 
Canada, he settled in Osnabruck. Of his descend 
ants, none are now left in Central Canada except 
the children of the late Asahel Gerald, of Prescott. 
The relict of the late Asahel Gerald is a descendant 
of one of the pilgrims who came to America in the 
Mayflower. Mrs. Geralds retains a sampler which 
was worked during that memorable voyage, and 
also several other curious and interesting relics. 

JUSTICE SHERWOOD MERWIN. 

Mr. Merwin was born in the United States in 1784, 
and came with the Sherwoods to Elizabethtown. 
in i Si 2 he was a prominent business man in 
Prescott. He died in 1863. 

BENJAMIN FRENCH. 

Benjamin French, son of a U. E. Loyalist who 
settled in Cornwall, was born in 1818. When a 
young man he engaged extensively in railway con 
tracting in the United States. In 1854 he returned 
to Canada, and in 1856 was appointed Superintendent 
of the St. Lawrence and Ottawa Railway, a position 
which he held for ten years. 

In educational advantages, Prescott is second to 
no town in Canada. The High School building, 
erected in 1867, at a cost of $9,000, is well supplied 
with all the latest improvements. The Public 
School is graded into eight departments, the average 
attendance being 300. 

The Separate School is one of the largest in 
Ontario. The new school house was erected in 
1875, at a cost of $10,000. It is a model of neatness 
and convenience, reflecting the greatest credit upon 
the Roman Catholics of the town. The Rev. Father 
O Donnell is deserving of especial praise for his 
indefatigable efforts in promoting the educational 
advancement of his parishoners. 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



CHURCHES. 

ST. JOHN S (CHURCH OF ENGLAND.) 
This church was erected in 1862, at a cost of 
$21,000. The auditorium is capable of seating a 
congregation of 500. Two memorial windows, one 
in memory of Mrs. William Ellis and the other in 
memory of Henry Simms, are very beautiful in 

design. 

PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 

Dr. Boyd, D. D., of Ballymera, Ireland, was the 
founder not only of the Presbyterian Church in 
Prescott, but also of churches of the same denomina 
tion in various parts of the counties. Dr. Boyd 
came to Prescott in 1819, was ordained in 1821, and 
at once took charge of the mission. The site of the 
church was a gift from Mrs. Susannah Jessup. The 
first church was a wooden building, dedicated Janu 
ary 1 2th, 1822, by the Rev. William Bell, of Perth. 
Upon that occasion the Sacrament was administered 
by the Rev. Messrs. Bell, Boyd, and Smart. It was 
replaced in 1850 by the present structure. In 1863, 
Dr. Boyd resigned his charge, after an uninterrupted 
service of forty-three years. The worthy pastor 
died February 29th, 1872, at the advanced age of 
81 years. On the death of Mrs. Boyd, she bequeathed 
her residence to serve as a manse. Dr. Boyd was 
succeeded by William Ferric, M. A., who resigned 
in 1867. The Rev. J. Burton next received a call ; 
he resigned in 1870, and was succeeded by the Rev. 
James Hastie, who resigned in 1876. The present 
pastor is the Rev. Archibald Henderson. The 
church was greatly improved in 1878. 

EPISCOPAL CHURCH (METHODIST.) 

The corner-stone of this elegant church was laid 
by Bishop Carman, June I4th, 1876 ; the church was 
dedicated March 8th, 1877. Its erection demon 
strates that the society is in a nourishing condition 
in Prescott. 

CANADA METHODIST CHURCH. 

The original church was built about the year 1821, 
and stood upon the opposite side of the street from 
the present structure ; it remained in use until 1856. 
The present church is an ornament to Prescott, and 
cost about $12,000. 

ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 

The Rev. Father O Mara was the first resident 
priest, locating in Prescott about 1828. Father 
O Mara was succeeded by Fathers Foley and Cam 
pion. In 1837 there were two resident priests, 
Father Clark and Vicar-General McDonald, suc 
ceeded by Fathers Roche and O Donnell. The 
building of the church was commenced in about 
1816 or 1817, and completed in 1830 or 1831. In 
1841, Father Clark extended the building, making 
it of the present dimensions, 



Jones Dowsley emigrated from Ireland, and settled 
in the Township of Kitley in 1820. Of his children, 
James settled in Edwardsburg, Thomas settled in 
Ottawa ; John P., Robert, William, and Samuel 
settled in Prescott ; Richard settled in Brockville, 
and James settled in Gananoque. Of James family 
Andrew is a missionary in India. 

HON. R. W. SCOTT, Q. C. 

This distinguished Canadian is the son of the 
late W. J. Scott, M. D., a descendant of an influ 
ential family in the County of Clare, Ireland. Dr. 
Scott served on the Medical Staff of the British 
army during the Peninsular War, afterwards remov 
ing to Canada, where he became Registrar for the 
County of Grenville. He married Sarah Ann, 
daughter of the late Captain Allan McDonell, of 
Matilda, formerly an officer in the " King s Royal 
Yorkers." 

Richard William Scott was born at Prescott, 
February 24th, 1825, and educated at Upper Canada 
College. He married Mary Ann, daughter of the 
late John Heron, Esq., of Ottawa. Studying law 
with the late Marcus Burritt, of Prescott, and 
Crooks and Smith, of Toronto, he was called to 
the Bar of Upper Canada in Easter Term, 1848, and 
created a Q. C. in 1867. In 1852, he became Mayor 
of Ottawa, and was elected Speaker of the Ontario 
Assembly December 7th, 1871, but resigned upon 
being appointed a member of the Executive Council 
and the Commissioner of Crown Lands for Ontario, 
on the 2ist of the same month. He retained this 
position until November 7th, 1873, when he became 
a member of the Queen s Privy Council. On the 
9th of January, 1874, he accepted the office of 
Secretary of State for Canada, being also ex officio 
Registrar-General and a member of the Railway 
Committee of the Privy Council, and also the 
Liberal leader, with the Hon. Mr. Pelletier, in the 
Senate. During the absence of Mr. Cartwright in 
England, in 1874-5, he acted as Minister of Finance, 
and as Minister of Inland Revenue during the illness 
of Mr. Geoffrion, in 1875-6 ; also as Minister of Jus 
tice during the absence of Mr. Blake in England, in 
1876. Mr. Scott represented Ottawa in the Canadian 
Assembly from 1857 to 1863, when he was defeated ; 
and the same seat in the Ontario Assembly from 
1867 until November, 1873, when he resigned. 

His principal legislative achievement is the Sepa 
rate School Law for Ontario, which he carried in 
1863, as a private member, a measure which removed 
a vexed question from the political arena. 

He was called to the Senate March i3th, 1874, and 
ceased to be a Cabinet Minister on the resignation 
of the Mackenzie Government in 1878. 







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QUEEN S HOTEL, PRESCOTT. W 1 ^ G. BRUNNING. 




TABERNACLE AT S T LAWRENCE CENTRAL CAMP GROUND. 






I 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



DANIEL S HOTEL, PRESCOTT. 

Prominent among the leading hotels of Central 
Canada is that kept by Mr. L. H. Daniels, of Pres- 
cott. Many years of experience, coupled with an 
aptitude for the business and an honest pride in not 
being eclipsed by competitors, has conspired to 
make Daniel s Hotel a favorite with the general 
public. Situated very conveniently to the ferry, 
and but a short distance from the railway depot, 
it affords every convenience to travellers. It has 
long been a favorite resort for American tourists, 
who are among the best judges as to the merits 
of an hotel, and thoroughly appreciate the courtesy 
with which all guests are invariably treated by Mr. 
Daniels and his assistants. 

During the past year the hotel has been remodelled 
and changes highly advantageous brought about. 
The dining hall, sitting room, billiard parlors, office 
and sample room, upon the first flat, are elegant and 
commodious. In every department the maxim that 
"Order is heaven s first law," is acted upon, the 
result being a model hostelrie. Mr. Freeman I. 
Daniels is the gentlemanly manager, and with the 
commercial public numbers a host of friends. 

THE PRESCOTT "TELEGRAPH." 

On the 3ist day of December, 1831, Mr. Miles, of 
Kingston, arrived in Prescott, bringing with him 
the plant for a printing office, with which he com 
menced the publication of the Grenville Gazette. The 
paper struggled bravely for existence, but in conse 
quence of the difficulties encountered, Mr. Miles 
became discouraged, and disposed of the office to 
D. McLeod, who, however, did not long continue 
the publication, the Gazette passing into the hands of 
William B. Wells (now County Judge at Chatham), 
Mr. Wells at that time being the representative of 
the county in Parliament. Mr. Wells changed the 
name of the paper to that of the Vanguard, which 
continued, like its predecessor, a staunch advocate 
of Reform principles Finding the publication 
unprofitable, Mr. Wells sold the plant to a man 
named Wilson, who changed the politics of the 
paper, making it a Conservative journal. Wilson 
disposed of his interest to the late Robert Headlam, 
who continued its publication for about two years, 
when it passed out of existence. 

In 1847, a man named Harris started a journal 
called the Packet, but after a few issues became 
discouraged, and removed to Bytown (Ottawa). 

In September, 1847, Mr. S. B. Merrill arrived in 

Prescott, from Kingston, bringing with him the 

materials for a printing office. On the 5th of 

October following, the first number of the Prescott 

\raph was issued in the interests of the Reform 



party. At that time Prescott contained only 1,700 
inhabitants, and few business men who would fur 
nish advertisements the mainstay of all newspapers. 
Notwithstanding all the difficulties encountered, the 
Telegraph was soon placed upon a sound financial 
basis, and rapidly won its way as a powerful advo 
cate of Liberal principles. Mr. Merrill was a 
trenchant and caustic writer, an able politician, and 
an excellent judge of the weak points in the armor 
of political opponents. His friends were warm in 
his praise, but those who suffered from his keen 
criticisms were doubly anxious to rid Prescott of 
his presence, and at one time threatened to 
destroy the office, being exceedingly exasperated in 
consequence of the course pursued by the Telegraph 
at the time when the Parliament Buildings were 
destroyed. In time this bitterness of feeling passed 
away, the rancour of party hatred giving place to a 
Christian spirit of mutual forbearance. 

In i86r, Mr. Merrill handed over the Telegraph to 
his sons, but continued the editorial management 
until 1863, when he was appointed Collector of 
Inland Revenue for Prescott Division, a position 
to which he was well entitled, from long and faithful 
service to the Reform party. 

In consequene of Mr. Merrill s retirement, the 
Telegraph became the property of Mr. P. Byrne, who 
formed a partnership with Mr. J. W. Anderson. 
Subsequently, Mr. Byrne was appointed Emigration 
Agent for the Province of Ontario, Mr. Anderson 
purchasing Mr. Byrne s interest. After conducting 
the Telegraph for some time, Mr. Anderson sold out 
to Mr. Isaac Watson. The latter being a parlia 
mentary reporter, devoted but slight attention to 
the paper, which began to exhibit signs of decay. 

In March, 1877, Mr. John A. McKenzie, an experi 
enced journalist and printer, assumed the manage 
ment, and in June, 1878, he became proprietor. 
From that date up to the present time, the Telegraph 
has been constantly improved, and edited with 
ability, gaining in circulation and influence. Under 
Mr. McKenzie, it bids fair to become one of the 
leading local papers in Ontario. 

Its rivals have one by one disappeared in Prescott, 
among the slain being the Old Messenger, the Tribune, 
and the Plaindealer, the latter having passed into 
the hands of three different parties in a short space 
of time. 

THE BUCKLEY FAMILY, 

AND 

JOHN BUCKLKY. 

In the year 1829, the late Timothy Buckley and 
his wife emigrated to Canada from the City of Cork, 
Ireland, and settled in Prescott, where he carried on 



172 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



the mercantile and forwarding business with eminent 
success. Mr. Buckley was at an early date a leading 
citizen of Prescott, taking a deep interest in the pros 
perity of his adopted home, and he contributed in 
no small degree to its growth and prosperity. He 
died in 1867, at the advanced age of 84 years ; Julia, 
his wife, died at the age of 73 years, in 1877. 

Mr. Buckley s family consisted of the following 
children : Mary Ann, who married Declan Foley, 
a highly successful merchant of Westport ; Ellen, 
who married James Morgan, merchant at Sorel ; 
Deborah, who married Thomas Dowdall, merchant, 
Clayton, New York ; Elizabeth, who married Major 
B. White, Town Clerk of Prescott ; James, a mer 
chant at Prescott ; William P., a doctor engaged in 
the practice of his profession in Prescott ; and John. 

JOHN BUCKLEY. 

John Buckley is one of the representative citizens 
of Prescott, having for many years taken a leading 
part in public affairs in the Town of Prescott, as 
well as in the County of Grenville. During the 
past four years, he has been elected mayor, dis 
charging the duties of the office with zeal and 
efficiency. A prominent Liberal, he has frequently 
been solicited to become a candidate for parlia 
mentary honors. From education and early training, 
he is especially fitted for the discharge of public 
business in Parliament, a position which his numerous 
friends confidently expect him to accept. (See 
portrait.) 

JUDGE JARVIS. 

George Stephen Jarvis was born at Frederickton, 
New Brunswick, on the 2ist of April, 1797. His 
father, Stephen Jarvis, had served in the British 
army during the Revolutionary War, at the close 
of which he removed to New Brunswick. On the 
declaration of war in 1812, Mr. Jarvis was detailed 
for duty in Upper Canada, where he resided until 
the time of his death, in 1840. 

The subject of this sketch commenced his military 
career at the early age of nine years, by enlisting as 
a drummer boy in the militia regiment commanded 
by his father. He speedily passed through the non 
commissioned grades, and became attached to the 
King s 49th Regiment as a cadet. In this capacity 
he served at the battle of Queenston Heights, where 
he was taken a prisoner. Being discharged, he 
rejoined his old regiment, and in several subsequent 
engagements he displayed in the highest degree the 
soldierly qualities of courage and prudence. During 
less than two years of active service, and before he 
had attained the age of eighteen, he had participated 
in seven general engagements, and was twice taken 
prisoner. 



In 1817, Mr. Jarvis commenced the study of law, 
being in the following year attached to the firm of 
Mr. Jonas Jones, Brockville, becoming a partner in 
1820. In January, 1823, he was called to the Bar 
of Upper Canada, his name appearing as the sixty- 
ninth on the roll. Of all his cotemporaries, Mr. 
Norton Buell is the only survivor. In 1834, he was 
named a Bencher; in 1835, County Judge of Pres 
cott and Russell ; in 1837, of Leeds and Grenville ; 
and in 1842, of Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry. 

WILLIAM PATRICK. 

The subject of this sketch was boTn in Toronto 
(then muddy Little York) in 1810, where he attended 
the school of the late Bishop Strachan. His father, 
the late A. Patrick, held an appointment in the 
Commissary Department during the War of 1812-15, 
at the close of which he entered upon commercial 
pursuits. 

From 1836 to 1838, William Patrick kept a small 
store in Kemptville, County of Grenville ; in the latter 
year he removed to Prescott, and rented the store 
occupied up to that time by Hiram Norton, M. P. P., 
who removed to Illinois. The opening was an excel 
lent one, which was improved by Mr. Patrick, who 
conducted a large trade for nearly thirty years. 

The circumstances which first brought him into 
political life were remarkable. The Parliament 
Buildings in Montreal having been destroyed by 
a mob of indignant Conservatives, and the Governor- 
General pelted, an intense feeling swept over Upper 
Canada, and most of the counties sent deputations 
to Montreal, to present Lord Elgin with an address, 
assuring him of the sympathy of the people. The 
deputation from Grenville consisted of the Basses, 
Wells , Churches, McCreas, Hulberts, Spencers, Akins, 
Adams, Smiths, Maleys, Hutchinsons, McCargars, 
etc. all eager to present themselves at the Govern 
ment House, and do honor to the representative of 
the Crown. 

Mr. Patrick was selected to read the address to 
His Excellency, and after having done so, made a 
short speech, which was of such a telling effect that 
the delegates unanimously resolved to bring him 
forward as the Liberal candidate at the next 
election. 

At the time the convention was held (1851), he 
was absent in England, yet received the nomination, 
which he accepted, and carried the election over his 
opponent, Dr. Jessup. In 1854, the House was dis 
solved. In this contest, Mr. Patrick s opponent was 
Archibald McMillan, of Prescott, a formidable anta 
gonist, but he also was defeated. In 1857, another 
contest had to be faced. The Conservative candi 
date was Augustus Keefer, a barrister, and brother 




RESIDENCE OF NELSON SHIPMAN, ELIZABETHTOWN. 




REVERE HOUSE, PRESCOTT. J. S. HUNTINGTON, PROPRIETOR. 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



173 



of our townsman, Samuel Keefer, C. E. The Roman 
Catholics also nominated Peter Moran, Esq., making 
the battle a triangular one ; but Mr. Patrick proved 
the victor for the third time. In 1861, Mr. Patrick 
again contested the constituency with Dr. Jessup, 
defeating him. 

In Parliament his sound practical views made him 
a prominent and influential member of the House, 
always in the confidence of his party, and highly 
respected by gentlemen of every shade of politics. 

In 1873, Mr. Patrick was appointed Sheriff for the 
United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, a position 
which he still retains. 

LEGAL PROFESSION. 

PRESCOTT. 

M. E. O BRIEN was born July roth, 1849, at Perth, 
receiving his primary education at the Separate 
School in that town. In 1868, he graduated at 
Regiopolis College, Kingston, and commenced the 
study of law in the following year, with the Hon. 
Alexander Morris and W. H. Radenhurst, Esq. Mr. 
O Brien concluded his law studies in Toronto with 
the well known legal firm of Patterson, Harrison, 
and Bain, being called to the Bar at Michelmas 
Term, 1874. He commenced the practice of his 
profession at Perth, but removed to Prescott in 
1875, where he succeeded Fraser and Mooney. 

F. J. FRENCH was born at Burritt s Rapids, January 
i8th, 1847, being the son of the late John Strachan 
French, merchant, of that place. After attending 
the Ottawa Grammar School, he studied law with 
Judge Lyon, of Ottawa, and D. B. Read ; of Toronto. 
In May, 1868, he was admitted as an attorney, and 
in May, 1870, was called to the Bar as barrister. 
Mr. French practiced his profession for two years 
in Merrickville, removing to Prescott, where he has 
since continued to reside. 

E. L. CHAMBERLAIN, B. A., was born at Toledo, 
November 24th, 1850, receiving his primary educa 
tion at Farmersville. He graduated as a Bachelor 
of Arts at Albert University, in 1873; was Mathe 
matical Master of the Ingersoll High School and 
Head Master of the High Schools at Morrisburg 
and Gananoque. He studied law with Fraser and 
Richards, Brockville, and Hon. Stephen Richards, 
Toronto; was called to the Bar in August, 1878, 
and opened an office in Prescott, in Octobei of the 
same year. 

REVERE HOUSE, PRESCOTT. 

J. S. HUXTINOTOX, PROPRIETOR. 

This large and commodious hotel occupies the 
site of the old Johnston House, the pioneer hotel 



of Prescott. It is conveniently situated on Main 
Street, near the St. Lawrence and Ottawa Depot. 
The building is three stories high, built substantially 
of stone, and in every department fitted with modern 
conveniences, including a billiard hall. The house 
possesses accommodation for fifty guests, including 
sample rooms for commercial travellers. The pro 
prietor, Mr. Huntington, keeps an omnibus, which 
conveys all passengers to and from trains free of 
charge, and no pains are spared to make the guests 
comfortable. 

John S. Huntington, the proprietor, was born in 
Kemptville in 1845, his father being Erastus Hunt 
ington, a descendant of an United Empire Loyalist. 
In 1866, Mr. Huntington married a daughter of the 
late William Levis, of Prescott, who has borne him 
four children. In early life he was engaged in rail 
way business, and for thirteen years was passenger 
conductor upon the St. Lawrence Si Ottawa Railroad. 
He is the owner of valuable real estate in and around 
Prescott ; and under his management, the "Revere" 
has_done a large and flourishing business. 

THE QUEEN S HOTEL. 

WILLIAM BRUNNING, PROPRIETOR. 
This hotel is situated at the west end of the town, 
and under the management of the present proprietor 
has commanded an extensive patronage, particularly 
from the farmers who visit the town, who find in it 
the home-like comforts which u they so thoroughly 
enjoy and appreciate. The charges are moderate, 
and the menu of the Queen s such as to elicit praise 
from the guests. No pains are spared by the 
courteous proprietor to entertain in an hospitable 
manner all visitors, and send them on their journey 
well pleased. 

PRESCOTT DISTILLERY, 

AND 

RVSDVK STOCK FARM. 

J. P. Wiser, M P., is the proprietor of two very 
extensive establishments in Prescott. which demon 
strate his enterprise as a business man, his tact and 
administrative ability. 

THE RYSDVK STOCK FARM. 

This farm is beautifully located upon the bank of 
the St. Lawrence, a short distance west of the town, 
and consists of 600 acres of excellent land, extending 
back to the 2nd Concession of Augusta. The build 
ings, shown in the accompanying illustrations, are 
among the finest in Central Canada. The stock 
barn is 100x42 feet, with wings 50x18 feet, and cost, 
when completed, about $10,000. Every device and 



174 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



accommodation for the comfort of stock have been 
secured, and 100 head of cattle are cared for with 
the expenditure of less trouble than a herd of one- 
quarter of that number under the antiquated system 
unfortunately in vogue with so many of our farmers. 
A fine half-mile track has been built upon the 
premises, for training the fast stock, which is under 
the care of an experienced superintendent. 

Mr. Wiser, with a laudable desire to improve the 
horses of Canada, has expended very large sums in 
obtaining some of the finest blooded monarchs of 
the turf upon this continent. In 1874, " Rysdyk" 
was purchased from Mr. Pond, of Hartford, Con 
necticut, for $10,000. He was foaled in 1866, and 
bred by Mr. A. Welsh, of Philadelphia. With the 
trotting action of " Hambletonian," and the endur 
ance of " Lexington," he has few equals upon the 
continent. The stud also boasts " Phil Sheridan," 
who has produced "Commonwealth" record, 2.22 ; 
"Adelaide" record, 2.21^; "Hiram Woodruff "- 
record, 2.25; and "Tom Malloy "- record, 2.27. 
"Chestnut Hill," by "Rysdyk," has shown a 2.30 
gait. "William B. Smith" has also a promising 
reputation. "Deceit" has shown 2.25; "Barbara 
Patchin," 2.38 ; " Rocket," 2.20 ; " Orient," 2.24 ; and 
"North America," 2.36. 

THE DISTILLERY. 

In 1857, Mr. Wiser became a partner with the 
founders of the distillery, Messrs. Egert and Averill, 
and in 1863, assumed the ownership. In 1864, a fire 
swept away the establishment, but it was immediately 
rebuilt upon an enlarged scale. The storage capa 
city is 100,000 bushels; the number of men employed, 
about 60 ; the average daily payment to the Govern 
ment as excise duty, $2,000 ; while the total outlay 
per annum, is $1,000,000. 

Close to the distillery, immense barns have been 
erected, in which 1,000 cattle are fattened for the 
English market, principally upon the mash which 
remains from the grain after the process of distilla 
tion has been completed. Every convenience for 
ministering to the comfort and wants of this great 
herd have been provided. 

PERSONAL. 

At the general election held in 1878, Mr. Wiser 
was chosen as the Liberal candidate for the House of 
Commons, for South Grenville. The contest was a 
spirited one, but terminated in his election. Pre 
eminently a business man, and not a politician, he will 
carefully guard the best interests of the country, in 
the prosperity of which he is so deeply interested. 



NEWSPAPERS IN PRESCOTT. 
In 1855, Mr. Charles J. Hynes established the Con 
servative Messenger, and Prescott for the first time 
possessed two rival journals ; it was clear from the 
first that the struggle for existence would be a keen 
one, and upon the withdrawal of Mr. Hynes to the 
United States the Messenger ceased. The Tribune 
was next established by Mr. Beemer, its publication 
continuing for about two years. Shortly after, a 
man named Cliffe founded the Plaindcaler ; its career 
under his management was no credit to Canadian 
journalism. The plant next became the property of 
a Joint Stock Company, under the management of 
Mr. Thomas A. Anderson. In 1878, the Plaindealer 
expired, but shortly after the Messenger was revived 
by its original publisher, Mr. Hynes, who continues 
its publication. 



CHAPTER XLII. 

GANANOQUE INDUSTRIES. 

GANANOQUE has with justice been called the Birm 
ingham of Eastern Ontario, the Gananoque River 
furnishing an almost unlimited water power which 
has been utilized by the construction of an hydraulic 
canal, thus passing from one factory to another as 
the motive power in setting in motion the wheels of 
industry. The Village is charmingly situated upon 
the bank of the St. Lawrence and contains a popu 
lation of 3,000. 

Among the manufacturing establishments are the 
following : St. Lawrence Woolen Mills, E. Cook, 
proprietor ; Fluted Trolling Spoon Factory, E. 
Skinner, proprietor ; Agricultural Implement Works, 
George Gillies, proprietor ; Rubber Factory, J. 
Hoover, proprietor ; Wood Turning and Fanning 
Mill Factory, O. V. Goulette, proprietor ; Flour 
Mill, W. Brough, proprietor ; Flour Mill, P. O Brien, 
proprietor ; Fork and Shovel Factory, D. Ford 
Jones & Co., proprietors ; Nail and Hinge Factory 
Cowan & Britton, proprietors ; Agricultural Imple 
ment Works, R. P. Colton, proprietor ; Axle and 
Fifth Wheel Factory, Byers & Matthews, pro 
prietors ; Hub Factory, R. Lowrie, proprietor ; 
Wringer Works, J. Hayward, proprietor ; Hame 
and Snaith Factory, Skinner & Co., proprietors ; 
Window Fastner Factory, Beaumont & Grant, 
proprietors ; Furniture Factory, W. Edwards, pro 
prietor ; Furniture Factory, W. McKenzie, pro 
prietor, (see view, page 175) ; Saw Mill, McClellen 
& Bro., proprietors ; Saw Mill, D. F. Britton, pro 
prietor ; Gananoque Spring Works, George Penn, 
Mechanical Superintendent and S. McCammon i 





JOSHUA LEGGE. 



C. E BRITTON. 








SAMUEL MILLER. 




JOHN DICKEY. 




Dr. PRESTON, M. P. P. 




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HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



175 



Manager ; Engine Manufactory, Thomas White, 
proprietor ; Organ Factory, W. Smith, proprietor ; 
Tannery, J. Carrington, proprietor ; Photographer, 
James McParland ; George Mitchell s Sash Factory. 

LEEDS FOUNDRY AND MACHINE WORKS. 

E. E. ABBOTT, PROPRIETOR. 

Mr. E. E. Abbott was born in the State of Con 
necticut, and at an early age turned his attention 
to mechanical pursuits, acquiring a thorough know 
ledge of mechanics, not. only theoretical, but also 
practical. In 1855, he removed to Canada, and was 
engaged as Superintendent of iron works at Kings 
ton. Having examined the special advantages of 
Gananoque as a manufacturing centre, he removed 
to that place in 1858, and opened a shop in a part of 
the old Globe Works. His business extending, he, 
in 1871, built the " Leeds Foundry and Machine 
Works," shown in the accompanying illustration. 
The establishment is situated on the west side of 
the Gananoque River, and is convenient to the St. 
Lawrence, by which machinery can be shipped with 
facility. 

The machine shop is a stone building, three stories 
in height, with fire-proof roof, and having an area 
of 42x98 feet. The foundry is 40x68, and the smith s 
shop 55 feet in length, the buildings forming three 
sides of a parallelogram. The entire factory is fitted 
up with the most complete labor-saving machinery, 
and the work turned out is second to none in 
Canada. It includes steamboat fittings, agricultural 
implements, iron and wood working machines, 
planers, presses, etc. in fact every variety of cast 
ings, and labor-saving utensils. Mr. Abbott s busi 
ness relations extend to every portion of the 
Dominion, thus demonstrating the superiority of 
the articles manufactured by him. 

REVERE HOUSE, GANANOQUE. 
D. BROPHY, PROPRIETOR. 

Mr. Brophy arrived in Gananoque in 1837, and 
since that time has been deeply interested in the 
growth and prosperity of the village. For many 
years he was engaged in the grocery business, but 
has latterly devoted his attention to keeping an 
hotel. Entering the Provincial, he soon acquired 
a monopoly in the travelling trade, his success being 
due to the excellent management which the house 
received at his hands. In 1877, Mr. Brophy erected 
an elegant brick block, 40x60 feet, which is an orna 
ment to the town, and is occupied by several mer 
chants, and also as a masonic hall. In 1878, he took 
possession of the Revere House (shown in the 
illustration), and immediately transformed it into 
a first-class hotel. 



W. McKENZIE S FURNITURE FACTORY. 

Under the same roof as the Revere House, Mr. 
McKenzie conducts one of the largest and most 
successful furniture establishments in the United 
Counties. No pains are spared in securing the 
latest and most beautiful styles, but the principal 
point aimed at is excellence in workmanship. In 
every department the stock will always be found 
complete, and purchasers will best consult their 
pecuniary interests by securing their furniture from 
a gentleman of well established reputation, which 
Mr. McKenzie possesses. 

THE PARMENTER FAMILY. 

AND 

CHARLES L. PARMENTER. 

James Whitcombe Parmenter was born in Stock- 
bridge, Vermont, February i4th, 1804. Mr. Parmenter 
emigrated to Canada, arriving in Gananoque, April 
23rd, 1825. In 1829, he opened a general store in the 
building adjoiniug the residence of H. Campbell, on 
Main Street, dealing extensively in cordwood, and 
at one time having two wharves for the purpose of 
supplying steamers. He continued the mercantile 
business in the original shop until 1853, when he 
removed to a new store which he had erected. 

Mr. Parmenter was for several years a member of 
the Municipal Council, and in 1848, occupied a seat 
in the District Council. After the passage of the 
Municipal Act, he became Reeve for Leeds and 
Lansdowne for 1853. In 1848, he was appointed a 
Justice of the Peace, serving as the principal magis 
trate for Gananoque up to the time of his decease. 
Having been appointed a commissioner for taking 
affidavits, issuer of marriage licenses, and also 
engaging in conveyancing, Mr. Parmenter retired 
from the mercantile business in 1857. 

In January, 1834, he married Emily Auchinvole, 
who bore him five sons and five daughters, nine 
of whom survive. Mr. Parmenter possessed a 
retentive memory of extraordinary accuracy, his 
knowledge of political questions being of the most 
comprehensive character. He died at his residence ; 
Gananoque, January i7th, 1876. 

CHARLES L. PARMENTER. 

Charles, the third son of the late James W., was 
born at Gananoque, February 22nd, 1845, receiving 
his education at a private school. At an early age, 
he entered the office of D. S. Abbott, next engaging 
with James Smart, with whom he remained about 
six years. In 1869, Mr. Parmenter commenced the 
manufacture of rivets in Gananoque, and in a short 
time formed a partnership with Mr. Bulloch. The 



1 7 6 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



firm built a new factory, where the business is at 
present conducted, entering upon the manufacture 
of rivets of iron and copper, tubular rivets, patent 
tubular rivets, shoe-lacing studs, and other hardware. 
The machines employed are of the most perfect 
description, the business being conducted upon an 
extensive scale. In 1873, a disastrous fire swept 
away their factory and warehouse, but all was 
promptly rebuilt, and their factory is at present 
one of the most successful in Gananoque. 

R. BROWN. 

When David Brown was eight years of age, he came 
to Canada with his parents, from Massachusetts. 
Settlement was made on Lot No. 35, in the 6th 
Concession of Edwardsburg, where Mr. Brown 
remained until the date of his death, in July, 1863. 
Born in 1789, he was present at the capture of 
Ogdensburg, and served his country during the 
entire campaign. Sylvester, the oldest son, retains 
the homestead. He was present at the battle of 
the Windmill. 

R. Brown, the third son, was born in the Township 
of Mountain, in 1851. Having acquired a thorough 
knowledge of the drug business, he began trade for 
himself in Morrisburg, in 1874, being one of the firm 
of Carman and Brown In 1875, ne removed to 
Gananoque, and is now proprietor of one of the 
best drug stores in Central Canada. He has built 
up an extensive business in proprietary medicines, 
including Mountain Herb and Root Bitters and 
Condition Powders. His thorough knowledge of 
his business has given him an extensive trade as 
a dispenser. 

SAMUEL McCAMMON. 

The subject of this sketch was born in the County 
of Tyrone, Ireland, in 1830. He came to Canada 
with his father, James McCammon, in the following 
year. James, Jr., is a graduate of Queen s College, 
Kingston, and practices medicine in that city. 

Samuel was educated at Kingston, and at the 
Normal School, Toronto, graduating at the latter 
seat of learning in 1851. Entering upon the pro 
fession of teaching, Mr. McCammon continued his 
labors in that department for six years. In 1858, 
he was appointed Clerk of the Division Court at 
Gananoque ; and engaged !n the drug Business 
from 1863 to 1876, when he disposed of his interest. 
At the time of the Trent affair, he assisted in organ 
izing the Gananoque Field Battery, of which he was 
chosen lieutenant, with D. Ford Jones, Esq., as 
captain. On the promotion of Mr. Jones to the rank 
of major, Mr. McCammon became captain, being 
subsequently transferred to the Reserved Militia of 
Leeds as Lieutenant-Colonel. 



Upon the organization of the Gananoque Spring 
Manufacturing Company, Mr. McCammon was 
chosen manager, and has conducted the business 
in the most satisfactory manner. 

In 1854, Mr. McCammon married Mary Jane, 
third daughter of Joshua Legge, Sr. She has 
borne him three sons and one daughter. One 
son is studying medicine in Kingston, and one is 
a Civil Engineer, at present engaged on the 
Northern Colonization Railway. 

Mr. McCammon is a prominent member of the 
Conservative party, and has frequently been men 
tioned as a suitable representative in Parliament. 

THE MEDICAL PROFESSION. 

GANANOQUE. 

W. S. FRALEIGH, M. D., was born near Picton, in 
1846. He graduated at McGill College in 1869, and 
commenced the practice of his profession at Selby, 
removing to Newburgh, and from thence to Napanee, 
where he remained for four years. He removed to 
Gananoque in 1877, where he at present resides. 

EDWARD L. ATKINSON, M. D., was born in the 
City of New York, of English parents, in 1842. 
He graduated at Victoria College in 1866. He 
commenced the practice of his profession in the 
County of Wentworth, removing to Gananoque in 
1869, where he has since devoted himself to the 
duties of his profession 

EDGAR H. MERRICK, M. D., was born in Merrick- 
ville. In 1864, he graduated at the University of 
Victoria College, receiving a Provincial license in 
1865. For one year he practiced in North Gower, 
removing to Gouverneur, New York, where he 
remained for two years. In 1871, he commenced 
practice in Gananoque. Dr. Merrick is the Surgeon 
of the Gananoque Field Battery. 



CHAPTER XLIII. 
THE BOOTH FAMILY. 

THIS family name, which can be traced back for 
600 years, first occurs in the County Palatine of Lan 
caster, where a son of Adam dc Boothe was living 
in 1275. All of the families of this name residing 
in England and America are believed to be derived 
from this parent stock. 

The spelling of the name has been repeatedly 
changed. Among the forms are Both, Bothe, Bouth, 
Bouthe, Boothe, and Booth. 




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R. BROWN S DRUG STORE. GANANOQUE. 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



The principal documents relating to the history 
of the family were in (1771) the possession of the 
Countess Dowager of Stamford, and of George 
Booth, of Tyndale. From " K imber and Johnson s 
Baronage,"i77i, and Nicholas Peerage," the family 
is traced from 1275, through a long line of distin 
guished descendants, including Thomalin of the 
Booths, Knight, 1327 ; John of Barton, 1377, who 
bore as his paternal arms the ancient Booth device, 
viz., three boars heads ; William, who became 
Bishop of Litchfield and Coventry, 1447, and Arch 
bishop of York, 1452 ; Roger, Bishop of Hereford, 
1516 ; Lawrence, Lord High Chancellor of England 
under Edward IV.; Thomas, knighted by Henry 
VI.; Sir William, who received an annuity from 
Henry VI.; Sir George, who married Catherine 
Mountfort, a near relative of David, King of Scot 
land ; Sir William, of Dunham Massey ; George, 
son of Sir George, who received an official letter, 
dated October I2th, 1529, announcing, by the com 
mand of Queen Jane Seymour, the birth of Edward 
VI.; Sir George, the use of whose estates were 
granted by Queen Elizabeth to her favorite, Dudley, 
Earl of Leicester ; John, knighted by Charles II.; Sir 
George, born 1722, who for his services in the 
Loyalist cause, was created by Charles II., Baron 
Delamere, of Dunham Massey ; Henry Booth, second 
Lord Delamere, who was one of the committee of 
three noblemen appointed by the Prince of Orange 
to demand of King James that he remove from 
Whitehall ; George Booth, second Earl of Warring- 
ton, who died in 1758, when the earldom became 
extinct, but was revived in the line of Harry Grey, 
Earl of Stamford, who married the daughter of the 
last Earl of Warrington. On the death of George, 
Baron Delamere, the barony expired. 

The family is of Welsh descent, and careful inves 
tigation has disclosed the fact that property to the 
value of many millions of dollars has escheated to 
the Crown of England, in consequence of the 
descendants in America not being able to complete 
the necessary chain of evidence as to their claim. 

The first of the name who came to America was 
one Ensign John Booth, who landed at Southold, 
Long Island, about 1652. From Ensign Booth 
descended the Booth family in the United States 
and also in Canada. One of his descendants, John 
Booth, left Southold, and removed to Watkill, Ulster 
County, New York, now known as the Town of 
Goshen, Orange County, where he raised a family 
of ten children. The names of the children were 
David, John, Bethia, Zacheus, Charles, Abner, Isaac, 
Samuel, Vincent, and Phcebe. This family was 
being reared during the American Revolution, and 
as they preferred British institutions to republican 

23 



rule, the father and sons determined to avail them 
selves of the royal proclamation, and remove to 
Canada. Zacheus was chosen to proceed* to the 
loyal province, and select a location for the family. 
He arrived in Elizabethtown, probably in 1784 or 
1785, and inspected the country. 

On preparing to return he called at the residence 
of Thomas Sherwood, father of the late Sheriff Sher 
wood, where he was hospitably entertained, and on 
his departure with an Indian guide, Mr. Sherwood 
made him a present of a little dog, mention of which 
is made in the memoirs of the late Sheriff. He 
crossed the St. Lawrence, but his fate is shrouded 
in mystery, as Booth, the Indian, and the faithful 
dog were never afterwards heard from: supposed to 
have been murdered by hostile Indians. 

The fate of Zacheus cast a deep gloom over the 
family. After a lapse of three years, Samuel and 
Vincent started in company with other Loyalists for 
Canada. The party drove a number of cattle and 
sheep and also brought with it a horse, the journey 
being made through the trackless forest by the aid 
of a compass. The wanderers, after a toilsome 
journey, reached Lake Champlain, from which point 
they struck out for the St. Lawrence, fording 
streams, building frail rafts to cross lakes and finally 
reaching the river at a point near Morristown, New 
York. Samuel, being an excellent swimmer, swam 
to the Canadian shore and returned to his com 
panions by the same means. A raft was then built. 
The stock which could swim was driven into the 
river, and, after a hazardous passage, all reached 
British territory. They landed near the present site 
of Brockville, and proceeded to the vicinity of Cole s 
Ferry, where they were hospitably entertained by a 
settler, probably a Clow or Cole. They proceeded 
on their journey and located on Lot No. 37, in the 
5th Concession of Elizabethtown, where they built 
a log shanty, which was at first roofed with bushes, 
but was finally covered with bark. 

At a subsequent period, not precisely known, the 
remainder of the family in Orange County joined 
their relatives in Canada and took up land in the 
same neighborhood. 

The family has never been characterized as seekers 
for office. Samuel Booth held a captain s com 
mission and served in the War of 1812 ; Matthew 
Booth also held a captain s commission, as did John 
Booth, P. L. S., who served in 1812. 

John Booth, P. L. S , son of Vincent Booth, was a 
man of marked ability. From an innate desire for 
knowledge, he obtained, without instruction, from 
the few books which he could secure, a good know 
ledge of astronomy, and, after a service of three 
months with the late Robert McLean, he proceeded 

^^MMBBMMMMMBB 



I 7 8 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



to York, and passed his examination as a Provincial 
Land Surveyor, receiving his commission from 
Governor Gore. 

The descendants of the original settlers are among 
the most influential and respected farmers of Leeds. 

Charles G., grandson of David Booth, resides in 
Manitoba. 

Delight, Thomas, Sarah, Rachael, John W., and 
Henry, children of Samuel, are still living. 

Of the children of Vincent, there remain Hiram. 
Alfred, Edward, Mary Ann ; and Catherine, who 
married John Lamb, residing at Biockport, New 
York. 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

RECOLLECTIONS OF NORRIS LOVERIN. 

Jonathan Loverin was a soldier during the Revo 
lutionary War. Quarreling with his commanding 
officer, he was compelled to leave his regiment to 
preserve his life. After several years spent in dif 
ferent military organizations, he proceeded to Can 
ada, where he fell in with a tribe of friendly Indians, 
with whom he journeyed to the present State of 
Ohio, where they encamped. Loverin became tired 
of savage life, and expressed a desire to return to 
Canada, but was informed by the chiefs that his 
life would pay the forfeit, should he attempt to 
escape. 

On a certain occasion, the savages assembled on 
the ice of a large lake, and amused themselves in 
skating, having obtained skates from white traders. 
They asked Loverin if he could skate, but he 
answered in the negative. Finally he secured the 
best pair of skates in their possession, strapped them 
on securely, and proceeded to fall down in the most 
awkward manner. Watching for an opportunity, 
he gradually worked his way beyond the outer 
circle of Indians, when he dashed off with the 
rapidity of a race-horse. In a minute the whole of 
the tribe started in pursuit, howling like a pack 
of hungry wolves. Loverin was much more than 
a match for his pursuers, who were soon left out of 
sight. After a perilous journey he reached Kingston, 
subsequently serving on several British gunboats 
during the War of 1812. His son John resides on 
Lot 27, of the 8th Concession of Elizabethtown ; he 
has reached the ripe age of 80 years. 

John Loverin and several of his sons came to 
Canada at a very early date, and settled in the 
vicinity of the place now known as Addison. 

Josiah settled on Lot 27, in the gth Concession of 
Elizabethtown, where he died in 1845. Josiah mar- 
ried, first, the widow Brown, sister of Samuel Gray, 
of Elizabethtown, by whom he raised one child, 
Catherine. His second wife was Elizabeth Shaver, 



daughter of Adam Shaver, of Matilda. The issue 
by this marriage was Amanda, who married Samuel 
Blake ; Norris ; Adeline, married Edwin Bates ; 
Jonathan ; Lydia, married Calvin Tupper, now of 
Welland ; Amelia, married E. F. Place ; Delilah, 
married David Sanford ; Nelson and Nancy, twins 
Nelson practices medicine in Montreal, Nancy 
married Noah Marshall ; and Simeon, married Miss 
Westlake. 

Norris, who was born on the farm now owned by 
him in Elizabethtown, married Elizabeth Westlake, 
rearing one child Bethuel, of Addison. Mr. Loverin 
has in his possession a fanning mill, the first one 
owned in the rear of Elizabethtown. For many 
years the farmers brought their grain on horseback 
from miles around to have it cleaned by this mill. 

Among the first settlers in that portion of Eliza 
bethtown were the following : John Blanchard, 
Lot 28, in the gth Concession ; Aaron Blanchard, 
Lot 28, in the 8th Concession ; John Keeler s father, 
a Methodist preacher, Lot 24, in the gth Concession ; 
Joseph Robinson ; ObediahReed; Joab Hutcheson ; 
Mr. Hoag, Lot 24, in the pth Concession ; Moses 
Olds, father of Samuel Olds. Old Mr. Olds married 
a Pennock for his second wife. Sally Olds married 
David Hutcheson. One of Mr. Olds daughters is 
wife of Eben Halladay, the oldest settler of South 
Crosby. Sala Blancher, father of Sala Blancher, 
Farmersville. William Hamblin was also an early 
settler. 

Among the first school teachers in the settlement 
were Fowler, Thomas Taplin and Hutcheson. 

The present church at Greenbush was commenced 
previous to 1828, but was not completed for many 
years. 

Among the earliest physicians were Dr. Stone, 
who resided at Unionville ; Dr. Ainsworth and Dr. 
Thomas Taplin. John Marshall kept a tavern at 
Unionville. George Mitchell, father of Ira Mitchell) 
of Elgin, was also an early settler. 

Teamsters gave the name to Unionville because 
the inhabitants at that place were always united in 
self defence. 

One of the first cemeteries was situated on the Perth 
road, about half a mile north of Addison, on the 
farm known as the Chamberlain place. 

The hill on the Perth road, beyond Addison, was 
named " Tug Hill," in consequence of the difficulty 
experienced in pulling loads through at that point. 
Norris Loverin s father was present at the battle 
of Ogdensburg, and also assisted in building Fort 
Wellington at Prescott. 

Among the early settlers was the father of Archibald 
and Walter Wait. 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



Norris Loverin, uncle of the gentleman now living 
of that name, built the house in which the late Ira 
Lewis first lived in Addison. Mr. Loverin kept a 
blacksmith shop and a small store, the first establish 
ed at Addison. 

At the time when Billa Flint erected his large 
warehouse near the river in Brockville, he was com 
pelled to secure help for " the raising" from the 
vicinity of Addison. 



CHAPTER XLIII. 

NORTH CROSBY. 

AMONG the first and prominent settlers of North 
Crosby, were the following : 

Sheldon Stoddard, who built the first mill in the 
Township, at the foot of Sand Lake, also erecting a 
house near at hand, on the farm at present owned 
by W. H. Rorison. 

The Manhard brothers, who built the mills at 
Westport. 

Obadiah Reed, who discovered the lead mine 
near Fermoy, and for many years carried on an 
extensive lumbering business. 

Robert Rorison, also a lumber dealer for many 
years, and the owner of the principal mills of the 
municipality. 

Old Mr. Deacon, who claims to have felled the 
first tree where the Village of Westport now stands. 

Mr. Rorison says that the first Reeve was Noah 
Halladay, father of E. Halladay, of Brockville. Mr. 
Halladay settled on the neck of land separating the 
Upper Rideau from Sand Lake. The first Township 
Clerk was Hugh Thurlow. 

Westport was named by Aaron Chambers and 
Lewis Cameron. 

The first record in the possession of the Township 
Clerk, reads as follows : 

" A Town Meeting held at Sheldon Stoddards, 
for the Township of North Crosby, on the first 
Monday in January, 1829, the following officers were 
appointed : Thomas Judd, Clerk ; Arthur Clenden- 
ning, Assessor and Collector ; Ralph Hudson, Path- 
master ist Division ; Edward Edwards, Pathmaster 
and Division." 

In 1831, there were added to the township officers 
two Wardens, viz., Sheldon Stoddard and Archibald 
Denny. The record does not specify their duties, 
but their appointment continued until 1836, when, 
in accordance with the Act of Parliament passed the 
previous year, a public meeting was held it the 
school house on the Isthmus, on the first Monday 
in January, and three Commissioners appointed in 
place of the Wardens. The Commissioners were 



George Perkins, Charles Barnum, and a man named 
Beach. In 1837, the Commissioners were Obediah 
Reed, Chairman ; Peter Chamberlain and John 
Bruster. In 1838, Peter Ewing, James Bilton, and 
Daniel McDonald. During this year the Township 
was divided into Commissioners Districts. First 
District From the ist Concession to the Rideau 
Canal ; 2nd District From the Canal to Manhard s 
Mills ; 3rd District From the mills to Bedford. 

The cultivated land in the municipality at that 
time was 1,050 acres, and the value of all property, 
^4,335, the assessment being 18 is. 3 4-5</.; num 
ber of horses, 43 ; oxen, 69 ; cows, 108 ; and other 
cattle, 35. 

In 1845, Aaron Chambers was chosen District 
Councillor, with Noah Halladay, Archibald ^Lands, 
and Alexander Dunbar, as Wardens. Chambers 
remained District Councillor until 1849, when Gabriel 
Forrester was selected. 

In 1855, the number of persons assessed was 289. 

In 1850, the Council was composed of W. H. 
Fredenburgh, Reeve ; Benjamin Tett, Alba Taggart, 
John McGregor, and John Cameron, Councillors. 

In 1851, Alba Taggart became Reeve ; in 1852, W. 
H. Fredenburgh ; in 1853, John McGregor ; in 1854 
and 1855, Benjamin Tett; in 1856-7-8-9, W. H. 
Fredenburgh; in r86o-t,Alba Taggart ; in 1862, W. 
H. Fredenburgh ; in 1863, Henry J. Arnold ; in 1864- 
5-6-7-8-9 and 1870-1, W. H. Fredenburgh ; in 1872- 
3-4-5, John H. Whelan ; in 1876-7-8, W. H. Freden 
burgh, and in 1879, J. H. Whelan. 

The first building for public worship was a frame 
one, put up by Sheldon Stoddard, J. Deacon, Eleazer 
Hastings, and the Manhards. It was also used as a 
school house. Its situation was opposite the site of 
the present Roman Catholic Church, and it is now 
used as a stable by William Bilton. The next school 
house was built on the gth Concession, Lot 13, and 
called the Halladay school house. 

The village of Newboro was incorporated Feb 
ruary loth, 1876. The first Council consisted of J. 
W. Preston, Reeve ; J. T. Gallagher, Robert Bell, J. 
A. Shaver, and Robert Webster, Councillors ; George 
Bell, Clerk. 

George W. Hastings and wife emigrated from the 
State of New York in 1815, locating near Unionville, 
Elizabethtown. In 1819, they removed to Newboro , 
then known as the Isthmus. At that time there were 
but four white families in North Crosby,viz., William 
Robinson, Isaac McCardney, - - Moore, and Mr. 
Hastings. The family of Mr. Hastings then con 
sisted of Eleazer ; Emily, who married John Robbins; 
Thersa, who married Thomas Judd ; Margaret, who 
married William Deacon Mary Ann, who married 
John Deacon. 



i8o 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



In 1829, Eleazer settled on the 8th Concession, his 
clearing being at the extreme western extremity of 
the Township. Subsequently he purchased land on 
the 7th Concession, where he erected his residence. 

George W. Hastings was the first settler west of 
Newboro . John Chase settled half way between 
Newboro and Westport. Sheldon Stoddard then 
settled at the Upper Mills. Afterwards came Peter, 
William, and David Manhard, who settled where 
Westport now stands. They built extensive saw 
mills in 1829, Sheldon Stoddard having erected a 
mill at the foot of Sand Lake in 1828. 

The Township survey was made by Reuben Sher 
wood, who received the land on which Westport is 
built as a grant from the Crown, about 1803. The 
land was purchased from Sherwood by Stoddard 
and the Manhards. 

In 1817-18, Sheldon Stoddard and Rueben Sher 
wood built an extensive mill on the north shore of 
Rideau Lake, which is now idle, and the property 
of an English company. 

The following is a summary of the assessment of 
the municipality for 1877 : 

Number of acres, 39,302. 

Number of acres cleared, 14,553. 

Total value of real property, $378,865. 

Value of personal property, $49,000. 

Total value of property of all kinds, $429,795. 

W. H. FREDENBURGH. 

The subject of this sketch was born in 1822, in the 
Township of Bastard. His father came to Canada 
about 1815, and setted in the centre of that munici 
pality. At an early age Mr. Fredenburgh entered upon 
the mercantile business in the Village of Newboro , 
remaining there for two years, when he removed to 
Westport, engaging in milling and lumbering. He 
continued the mercantile business about fifteen 
years, when he abandoned it, devoting his entire at 
tention to the mills under his control. In 1846, he 
married Catherine Bilton. She died in 1859. Sub 
sequently he married Miss Jane Ewing. At the 
present time he owns the mills at Westport, the 
upper mills and a saw mill at the outlet of the Upper 
Rideau ; he also conducts a large farm, and is the 
principal owner in a line of barges on the Rideau 
Canal. 

In 1873, he contested South Leeds in the Liberal 
interest for a seat in the House of Commons, and 
was only defeated by a majority of three votes. He 
was also the Reform Candidate in 1878, but was 
again defeated by Mr. D. Ford Jones. 

In business operations he has been eminently 
successful, having acquired a handsome fortune, 
obtained by perseverence and untiring industry, 
coupled with excellent administrative ability. 



DECLAN FOLEY. 

Declan Foley, an early settler as a business man 
in the municipality, has witnessed a wonderful 
change in North Crosby since he first pitched his 
tent among the hardy settlers. The forest has given 
place to smiling and cultivated fields, the mountain 
has been denuded of its timber, and a few straggling 
log houses been replaced by a beautiful and pros 
perous village. Great as has been the change upon 
the face of nature, still greater has been the change 
with the inhabitants from an intellectual and moral 
point of view. From first to last, Mr. Foley has lent 
his influence in behalf of popular education for the 
masses. For schools and churches he has labored 
long and assiduously, and, we are pleased to say, 
with the most gratifying success. Highly successful 
in business, the father of a large and respectable 
family, his days should be those of pleasantness. 

CONNOLLY AND TRUELOVE S 

FURNITURE AND BOAT FACTORY. 

We present a sketch of the new factory erected 
by two young mechanics of the municipality, who 
for some time have been engaged in the carriage 
business, and have recently commenced the manu 
facture of row boats, in which department they 
have few superiors. During the past season they 
turned out several beautiful specimens, which in 
model and style of finish compare favorably with 
those of the best known builders. An examination of 
their prices will convince the most skeptical that their 
factory is one of the cheapest places in Canada to 
secure a substantial and well built boat. 

CLARK S WOOLEN MILL. 

About half a mile west of the Village of Westport 
Joel Clark has erected an extensive woolen mill, 
which is fitted up with all the latest improved 
machinery. Mr. Clark has from an early age been 
engaged, with his father, in the carding business, 
and, from a small beginning, has succeeded in 
establishing a highly prosperous trade. From the 
accompanying illustration, it will be seen that the 
present factory is two stories high, besides the base 
ment. The water power is practically unlimited, 
and with the looms, carders, and other machinery, 
capable of turning out work equal to any factory in 
the United Counties. Adjoining are the dye works, 
also constructed on an improved plan, Carding, 
spinning, and weaving are carried on with expedi 
tion, and farmers may depend upon being treated 
in the most honorable manner by Mr. Clark. 






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HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



181 



CHAPTER XLIV. 

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES, BROCK.VILLE. 

THE BUELL FAMILY. 

Among the United Empire Loyalists who sought 
refuge in Canada were the original pioneers of the 
Buell family. From the hour when the first rude 
shanty was built upon the site of Brockville. down 
to the present time, the descendants have been inti 
mately associated with the control of public affairs, 
not only in the town, but also throughout the 
county. 

William Buell, Sr., was of English descent, both 
upon his father and mother s side. He was the son 
of Timothy Buell and his wife, Mercy Peters, and 
was born at Hebron, in the then English Colony of 
Connecticut, on the 5th of October, 1751. His 
mother was a descendant of the Rev. Dr. Samuel 
Peters, who at the commencement of the American 
Revolution was Bishop of Connecticut, and wrote a 
history of that colony, which has recently been 
republished under the editorship of his great- 
grandson, S. Jarvis McCormick, Esq. 

When the war broke out, Mr. Buell remained 
loyal to the British Crown, and as soon as was 
practicable made his way through the wilderness to 
Montreal, where he received an ensign s commission 
in the " King s Rangers," subsequently becoming 
lieutenant. His service extended over a period of 
seven years, and during a portion of the time 
he acted as quarter-master. He was frequently 
detailed to carry important despatches from the 
authorities in Canada to the British commander 
at New York, and on many occasions met with hair 
breadth escapes. He was twice taken prisoner by 
the insurgents, but succeeded in effecting his escape, 
and was also present at the surrender of General 
Burgoyne. 

On the loth of March, 1782, he was married at St. 
Johns, Lower Canada, to Martha Norton, whose 
father was an U. E. Loyalist who had removed to 
Canada from Farmington, Connecticut. A family 
of nine children was the result of this union. 

Of these children, William Buell, the younger, 
represented the County of Leeds in the Parliament 
of Upper Canada for several years. He was a 
Lieutenant-Colonel of the Militia, and for about 
twenty-five years publisher and proprietor of the 
Brockville RECORDER. 

Andrew Norton Buell, the second son, studied 
law, and, while a student, wrote the first editorial 
which appeared in the Brockville RECORDER. He 
was for several years Treasurer of the Counties of 
Leeds and Grenville, and a short time Registrar of 
the Court of Chancery, Clerk of the Crown and 



Pleas in the Court of Common Pleas, and subse 
quently for about twenty-five years Master and 
Accountant of the Court of Chancery. 

PhcebeBuell,adaughter,married Stephen Richards, 
Sr. Their eldest son, William Buell Richards, repre 
sented the County of Leeds in the Parliament of 
Canada, became Attorney-General, Chief Justice of 
the Upper Canada Court of Queen s Bench, and 
afterwards Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and 
Deputy Governor of the Dominion, being knighted 
by his sovereign. His brother, the Hon. Stephen 
Richards, is a distinguished lawyer, and was at one 
time a member of the Executive Council for the 
Province of Ontaiio, and also Provincial Secretary 
and Commissioner of Crown Lands. Another 
brother, the Hon. Albert Norton Richards was 
the representative of South Leeds in the Parliament 
of Canada, and also in the House of Commons for 
the Dominion, Solicitor-General of the Sandfield 
McDonald administration, and Attorney-General 
for Manitoba. He is at the present time Lieutenant 
Governor of the Province of British Columbia. 
Sarah Richards, a daughter of Stephen Richards, 
Sr., married John Sippel, Esq., a Civil Engineer, for 
many years in charge of the enlargement of the 
Lachine Canal and other important government 
works. 

After the termination of the Revolutionary War, 
Mr. Buell, Sr., was placed upon the half-pay list, 
and retired from military service. In 1785, accom 
panied by his wife, he removed to Upper Canada, 
settling upon the present site of the Town of Brock 
ville, then a wilderness. He received a grant from 
the Crown of the land upon which the central 
portion of the town was subsequently built, where 
he settled, and erected the first house. 

About the year 1800, Mr. Buell, after a contest 
with Reuben Sherwood, a Provincial Land Surveyor, 
was elected a member of the House of Assembly for 
Upper Canada, for a term of four years. 

Mr. Buell donated to the Counties the land upon 
which the Court House was built, and also the sites 
for the Presbyterian, Baptist, first Methodist, and 
Roman Catholic Churches. 

His first wife died on the 7th of December, 1823, 
in the 6ist year of her age. About the fourth year 
after her death, Mr. Buell married Mrs. Margaret 
Bernard. One daughter was the fruit of this mar 
riage ; she married Robert Findlay, who is a resi 
dent of Brockville. 

Mr. Buell was upright and honest, and very kind 
to the poor. He was generous in his character, 
liberal in his politics, and highly respected. He 
died at Brockville on the 8th day of August, 1832, 
in the 8ist year of his age. His remains, and those 



182 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



of his first wife, were originally interred within the 
limits of the town, but have since been removed to 
the Brockville Cemetery, west of the town, where 
fitting monument has been erected to their memory 
by their second son, Andrew Norton Buell, Esq. 

William Oscar Buell, eldest son of William Buell, 
Jr., was bora in Brockville, in August, 1819. He 
entered upon the study of law at Perth, with the 
late Judge John G. Malloch, and was called to the 
Bar of Upper Canada. During his life he practiced 
his profession in Perth, where he died January 2nd, 
1878. 

[For sketch of J. D. Buell, Esq., see chapter on 
Elizabethtown.] 

FORDYCE L. LOTHROP. 

Mr. Lothrop was born in Rutland, Vermont, in 
1801. He removed to Brockville in 1821, where he 
entered upon the mercantile business, in which he 
has continued up to the present date, He first estab 
lished weekly auction sales in 1827, and carries them 
on in 1879. He is the oldest merchant in Brockville, 
and has seen Brockville develop from a small village 
into its present dimensions. In 1832, Mr. Lothrop 
married the daughter of Louis Charland, a French 
officer. Miss Charland was also a niece of Sir Daniel 
Jones, who died in 1843. 

Mr. Lothrop was for many years a member of the 
Town Council, and also a Reeve in the County 
Council, previous to the separation of the town 
from the Counties. During the war of 1837, he was 
out on service for six months, and upon severing his 
connection with the militia, he retired with the rank 
of major. 

R. P. COOKE, C. E. 

Mr. Cooke is the second son of the late Thomas 
Lalor Cooke, Crown Solicitor, King s County, Ire 
land. He was born at Birr, King s County, in 1824, 
and graduated at Trinity College, Dublin, with the 
degree of B. A., in 1848. Studying engineering 
under Sir John McNeil, he obtained a first-class 
diploma from the engineering school attached to 
the University. 

Emigrating to Canada in 1852, he was employed 
on the Grand Trunk Railway, west of Toronto, 
being subsequently engaged as assistant and divi 
sional engineer on the construction works at 
Toronto, Weston, Stratford, and St. Marys, and also 
as district engineer in charge of the line west of 
Toronto. In 1859, he removed to Kingston, taking 
charge of the Central District, from Toronto to 
Montreal. In 1861, he terminated his connection 
with the Grand Trunk Railway, and some time 
after, having been appointed Managing Director of 
the Brockville & Ottawa Railway, he removed to 



Brockville, a position which he resigned in 1867. 
Since that time he has been engaged as engineer 
and contractor on various works in Canada and the 
United States. 

In 1853, Mr. Cooke married Miss Plunkett, the 
daughter of the late Lynch Plunkett, of Castlemore, 
County of Mayo, Ireland. 

THE LEGAL PROFESSION. 

JOHN F. WOOD. 

Mr. Wood was born in Elizabethtown in 1850. 
He completed his general education at Farmersville 
Grammar School, and commenced the study of law 
in the office of the Hon. C. F. Fraser. He was called 
to the Bar at Easter Term, 1875, and immediately 
after commenced the practice of his profession at 
Brockville, which rapidly increased, necessitating a 
partnership, which was formed with W. H. Ferguson 
in February, 1878. 

WILLIAM II. FERGUSON. 

Mr. Ferguson was born in Kitley in 1848. He 
attended the Farmersville Grammar School for 
several years, and commenced the study of law in 
the office of Judge McDonald, completing his course 
at Toronto, being called to the Bar in 1875. Imme 
diately after, he commenced the practice of his 
profession at Kemptville, remaining at that place 
until he formed a partnership with Mr. Wood in 
February, 1878. 

JAMES REYNOLDS. 

Mr. Reynolds was born in Brockville in 1837. 
His education was obtained at the Grammar School. 
In 1853, he commenced the study of law under his 
brother, the late John Reynolds, Esq., also entering 
the office of the late Lieutenant-Governor John 
Crawford, completing his studies at Toronto under 
the late Macdonald Brothers. He formed a partner 
ship with his brother, opening an office in Prescott, 
where he remained until his removal to Brockville, 
in January, 1878. 

A. E. RICHARDS. 

A. E. Richards was born in Toronto in 1848. He 
graduated at the University of Toronto, and pursued 
his legal studies in that city, being called to the Bar 
in Hilary Term, 1874. Immediately after, he formed 
a partnership with the Hon. C. F. Fraser, Q. C., and 
commenced the practice of law in Brockville. In 
1877, he was appointed County Attorney for Leeds 
and Grenville, and also Clerk of the Peace. 

E. J. REYNOLDS. 

Mr. Reynolds was borh in Brockville in 1855, and 
read law in the office of Senkler& Senkler,completing 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



83 



his studies in Toronto with Fitzgerald & Arnold!. 
He was called to the Bar at Easter Term, 1876, and 
entered into partnership with E. J. Senkler, Q. C., of 
Brockville. In December, 1877, he became the 
junior member of the firm of Eraser, Richards & 
Reynolds. 

JOSEPH DEACON. 

Joseph Deacon ivas born at Perth in 1832. In 
1853, he commenced the study of law in the office 
of his brother, John Deacon, Esq., Perth. He was 
sworn in as an attorney in 1857, and called to the 
Bar in 1860. Since the latter date he has resided 
in Brockville. Mr. Deacon was appointed Police 
Magistrate of Brockville in 1871, an office which he 
retains. 

WILLIAM H. JONES. 

William H. Jones was born at Brockville in 1837, 
receiving his elementary education at the Brockville 
Grammar School. He studied law with M. C. 
Cameron, of Toronto, and was called to the Bar in 
1862, since which time he has practiced his profession 
in Brockville. He was elected Mayor of the town 
in January, 1879. 

THE MEDICAL PROFESSION. 

ABSALOM JOHNSTON, M. D. 

Dr. Johnston was born in Montreal, graduated at 
Queen s College in 1862, and commenced practice 
in the County of Addington. In 1863, he became a 
hospital surgeon in the United States army, and in 
1864, settled at Portsmouth, from which place he 
removed to Brockville, where he continues to reside. 

J. E. BROUSE, M. D. 

Dr. Brouse was born in Matilda in 1840, graduating 
at McGill College in 1861. He commenced practice 
in Matilda. In 1862, he removed to British Columbia, 
where he resided until 1869, when he returned to his 
native province, locating permanently in Brockville 
in May, 1871. 

WILLIAM F. JACKSON, M. D. 

Dr. Jackson was born at Brockville in 1852. He 
graduated at McGill College in 1873. For some 
time he was medical officer of the Liverpool Board 
of Trade, and subsequently surgeon on the Allan 
Line of Steamships. In 1876, he settled in Brockville, 
continuing the practice of his profession. 

GEORGE E. GASCOIGNE, M. D. 

Dr. Gascoigne was born in Stanwick Hall, Eng 
land, in 1831. He commenced his medical studies 
at St. Mary s Hospital, Paddington, obtaining the 
degree of M. R. C. S. in 1858. For eighteen months 



he was resident surgeon of Lock Hospital, London. 
Joining the army, he served in India, China, and 
Canada, until 1871, when he settled in Brockville. 
In 1861, Dr. Gascoigne received the degrees of M. D. 
and M. C. at McGill College, Montreal. 

H. E. VAUX, M. D. 

Dr. Vaux was born at Kingston in 1843. In 1866, 
he graduated from Victoria Medical College, Toronto, 
and also from Bellevue Hospital, New York, in the 
same year. He commenced practice in a village 
north of Toronto, where he remained until his 
removal to Brockville in 1870. He is Coroner for 
Leeds and Grenville. 

THE JONES FAMILY. 

The Canadian pioneers of this family were emi 
grants from the Mohawk Valley, in the Colony of 
New York, then a province of the British empire. 
From a manuscript in the Parliamentary Library 
at Ottawa, and sketches in print, it appears that 
the entire family were United Empire Loyalists of 
the most pronounced type. The settlers of this 
name who located at a very early date in the 
Mohawk Valley were from Wales. Upon a map of 
Brockville, published when the centre of the town 
was laid out in lots, the name is invariably spelled 
"Joans," indicating the origin, even at a compara 
tively recent period. 

Several distinguished Loyalists of the name 
played an important part in the Revolutionary War. 
One Jones was hanged three times by the rebels, 
and as many times cut down before life became 
extinct, in the vain hope that information relative 
to the movements of the King s forces could be 
obtained from him. This man, who appears to have 
borne a charmed life, and who was hunted by the 
Continental authorities like a wild beast, after the 
close of the war, made his way to New Brunswick, 
and died at a ripe old age. 

Ephraim Jones, a resident of the Mohawk Valley, 
during the Revolution made his escape to Montreal. 
Two of his brothers, at about the same time, suc 
ceeded in reaching Nova Scotia. In 1790, Ephraim 
Jones (better known as Commissary Jones, in conse 
quence of his having charge of the supplies granted 
to the settlers by the British Government) arrived 
in Upper Canada. He received a grant of 300 acres 
of land in the Township of Augusta, and built a 
house on the farm now owned by Thomas Murdock, 
situated a short distince east of Maitland. Return 
ing to Montreal, he married Miss Coursoll, of which 
family the present Judge Coursoll is a descendant. 
The fruit of the union was a family of four sons and 
four daughters. 




184 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



Charles, born in 1781, afterwards the Honorable 
Charles Jones, was a merchant and mill owner, and 
for many years one of the most prominent men in 
public life in the eastern portion of the province. 
Having been called to the Legislative Council, he 
held many offices of trust and emolument under 
several Administrations. He died in 1840. 

William Jones became Collector of Customs in 
Brockville. He died in 1831. 

Jonas Jones was one of the first members of the 
Bar of Upper Canada. He was an active politician, 
entered Parliament, subsequently becoming a Judge 
of the Superior Court, discharging his duties with 
distinguished ability. 

Alpheus Jones became Collector of Customs and 
Post Master at Prescott. He died in 1846. 

The daughters were Sophia, who married John 
Stuart, Sheriff of Leeds and Grenville. 

Charlotte, who married the late Honorable Levius 
P. Sherwood, Judge of the Superior Court of Upper 
Canada. 

Lucy, who married Doctor Hubbel, of Brockville. 

Eliza, who married the late Chief Justice of New 
foundland, the Honorable Henry John Bolton. 
Chief Justice Bolton commenced practice in Upper 
Canada in 1816, and was appointed Solicitor General 
about eighteen months afterwards. In 1829, he 
became Attorney-General, and was elected to repre 
sent Niagara in Parliament. He subsequently was 
appointed Chief Justice of Newfoundland, but re 
turned to Toronto in 1838, again representing 
Niagara and Norfolk in Parliament. 

The Honorable Charles Jones, who was born in 
1781, married in 1807, Mary, daughter of the late Dr. 
Stuart, of Kingston, first missionary for the English 
Church in Upper Canada, and sister of Sir James 
Stuart, of Quebec. Mr. Jones died in 1840, and his 
wife in 1811. The children of Charles Jones were, 
Stuart, born in 1808, died in 1839, without issue ; 
Okill, born in 1809, died in 1846, without issue ; 
Ormon, born in 1811. Ormon married in 1834, 
Eliza, daughter of the late Edward Jessup, and 
sister of Dr. Jessup, Collector of Customs, Prescott. 
The children by this marriage were twelve four 
sons and eight daughters. One of the sons, Wil 
liam H., is a Barrister, and, at the present time 
(1879) Mayor of Brockville. He has also been for 
many years a member of. the Town Council. 

The Honorable Charles Jones married for his 
second wife, Florilla Smith. The children by this 
marriage were : Frederick, Charles Edward, Anson, 
and Henreitta, who married John Martin. Charles 
widow died at Brockville in 1876. 

Frederick and Anson are residents of Toronto. 
Charles Edward and Henreitta are deceased. 



Ormon Jones was born at Brockville, and com 
menced the practice of law in 1834, retiring from 
the active duties of his profession in 1855. He held 
the office of Registrar for South Lanark from 1859 
to 1864, and also engaged in the milling business 
from 1855 to 1859. He held the office of Surrogate 
Judge for ten years, and, in 1864, was appointed 
Registrar for the County of Leeds, an office which 
he still holds. His first wife died in 1862. He 
married for his second wife Catherine Mary, youngest 
daughter of the late Richard Checkley, barrister, 
formerly of Mallow, Ireland. 

Henry and Sidney Jones were nephews of Com 
missary Jones ; their father never came to Canada. 
The brothers came to Brockville and entered the 
employment of the Honorable Charles Jones. They 
subsequently became the leading merchants of the 
place, doing an extensive business and contributing 
is no small degree to the prosperity of the then 
Village of Brockville. 

SIR DANIEL JONES. 

Sir Daniel Jones was born in 1794, and died at 
Brockville, August 23rd, 1838. He was held in the 
highest esteem by his fellow citizens, and regarded 
by the Crown as an uncompromising supporter of 
British institutions upon this continent. In 1835, 
he visited England as the agent for the Brockville 
"Loan and Trust Company," at which time he 
received the Order of Knighthood from His Majesty 
William IV., at Windsor Castle, being the first 
native of the Province of Upper Canada who had 
the honor of receiving so distinguished a mark of 
royal favor. 

HONORABLE JAMES MORRIS. 

James Morris was born at Paisley, Scotland, in 
1798. In 1801, he removed to Canada with his 
parents, his father, the late Alexander Morris, 
settling first at Montreal, and afterwards at Brock 
ville. The subject of this sketch received his educa 
tion at the academy of Mr. Nelson, Sorel. On 
leaving school, he devoted his attention to mercantile 
pursuits in Brockville, in connection with his 
brothers, the late Alexander Morris, of Brockville, 
and the late Hon. William Morris, of Perth. 

In July, 1837, he was returned to the Upper 
Canadian House of Assembly as one of the members 
for the County of Leeds, and from that date con 
tinued to hold many important public positions. 
In 1838, he was appointed a commissioner for the 
improvement of the navigation of the St. Lawrence. 
In 1841, he was again returned for Leeds County. 
In 1844, he was called to the Legislative Council, 
under the administration of Lord Metcalfe. In 
1851, Mr. Morris was called to a seat in the Executive 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



Council, under the administration of Lord Elgin, and 
was appointed the first Postmaster-General after the 
transfer of that department from the imperial con 
trol to that of Canada. In 1853, Mr. Morris was 
appointed Speaker of the Legislative Council, which 
office he held until the retirement of the Hincks- 
Morin administration, in 1854. In 1858, he was 
appointed a member of the Executive Council, and 
Speaker of the Legislative Council on the advent of 
the Brown-Dorion administration, and retired when 
Sir Edmund Head refused to dissolve the House. 
Mr. Morris continued to discharge his duties in the 
Legislative Council, acting in concert with the 
Liberal party, with which he was always identified. 

V. H. MOORE, M. D. 

Dr. Moore was born in the Township of Elizabeth- 
town, February 4th, 1848. His father, Richard 
Moore, was born in the County of Wexford, Ireland, 
in January, 1800, and emigrated to Canada with his 
parents when twelve years of age, the family locating 
at New Dublin. 

Richard married in 1821, Ann Barry, who was born 
in the County Down, Ireland, 1802, her parents ar 
riving in Elizabethtown in 1816. Mrs. Moore s 
mother lived to the ripe old age of one hundred 
years and four months, dying in 1867. The fruit of 
Richard s marriage was eight children, six of whom 
survive. 

The subject of this sketch is the youngest child. 
He was educated at the Brockville Grammar School, 
and studied medicine with Doctor Weir, of Merrick- 
ville ; entering the University of Queen s College, 
he graduated in March, 1870, and was admitted as a 
member of the College of Physicians and Surgeons 
for Ontario in April of the same year. He first 
located in London, Ontario, but in a short time re 
moved to Brockville, where he has since continued 
to practice his profession. 

Dr. Moore has always taken the liveliest interest 
in educational matters, and has proved an excellent 
representative upon the High School Board. In 
1872, he became a member of the Medical Board 
for the Examination of Pensioners, of which he is 
at present the Chairman. In 1874, he received the 
appointment of Surgeon for the 4ist Battalion. 

BROCKVILLE OBSERVATORY. 

This observatory of the Meteorological Service of 
the Dominion of Canada, in connection with the 
Signal Service of the United States, is under the 
charge of Mr. W. R. Bigg, I. P. S. 

The following observations are taken three times 
daily, viz.: The height of the barometer; tempera 
ture of the air ; direction and velocity of the wind ; 
description of upper and lower clouds, and from 

24 



what direction moving ; state of the weather ; depth 
on the level of rain or snow. The maximum and 
minimum temperature are taken once a day, and 
a record is also kept of occasional phenomena, such 
as the aurora, solar and lunar corona, solar and lunar 
halo, rainbow, thunder and lightning, hail, frost, etc. 

The observatory is situated in latitude 44 35 N., 
and in longitude 75 41 50 \\ r . The surface of the 
St. Lawrence at Brockville is 232 feet above tide 
water at Three Rivers, and as the observatory is 35 
feet above the river, the total height of the station 
above sea level is 267 feet. 

The instruments in use at the observatory are of 
the best kind, having been thoroughly tested at the 
head office in Toronto, and consist of a marine 
barometer, with attached thermometer, an anemo 
meter, a wind vane with drum, rain guage, and 
standard maximum and minimum thermometers. 

The daily observations are taken at 7.39 A. M.; 
4.39 P.M.; and 9 P.M. Daily probabilities of the 
weather for the ensuing twenty-four hours are 
placed conspicuously in the Post Office. 

To such an extent is the signal service now carried 
that a record, for every day of the year, of every 
city and station of importance in the world, is now 
published, containing the state of the barometrical 
pressure, temperature of the air, state of the weather, 
humidity of the air, direction and velocity of the 
wind, and, in short, of all the atmospherical pheno 
mena and observations taken at each of the stations 4 
A copy is kept on file at each station, so that should 
any person require any special or general inform 
ation as to any statistics of the weather, for any 
important or well known place in the world, for any 
day of the year, such information can be obtained 
by applying to Mr. Bigg, the observer. 

HON. C. F. FRASER, O. C. 

Mr. Fraser is the son of Mr J. F. Fraser, of Brock 
ville, at which place he was born in 1838. He studied 
law with the Hon. A. N. Richards, Q. C., and was 
called to the Bar of Upper Canada in Trinity Term, 
1865. He first entered public life in 1867, when he 
contested Brockville Riding, being defeated by a 
small majority. At the succeeding general election 
he was a candidate in South Grenville, but was again 
defeated. Upon the death of the sitting member, 
Mr. Clark, Mr. Fraser was returned to the Legisla 
tive Assembly (March, 1872), but was unseated on a 
petition. Another election was held in October, 
1872, when he was again triumphant. He was ap 
pointed a member of the Executive Council, Novem 
ber 25111, 1873, his constituents ratifying the appoint 
ment by re-electing him by acclamation. He 
retained the portfolio of Provincial Secretary and 
Registrar until April 4th, 1874, when he became 



i86 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



Commissioner of Public Works, a position which he 
still retains. He is the President of the Roman 
Catholic Literary Association of Brockville, and was 
one of the originators of the Ontario Catholic 
League. He married Miss Lafayette, daughter of 
John Lafayette, of Brockville. 

Among the self-made men of the Dominion, 
Mr. Fraser occupies a foremost place. Born of the 
people, his struggle in early life for an education 
and a profession was long and arduous. He began 
his career as a compositor in the RECORDER office. 
Perseverance, ability and ambition surmounted every 
obstacle and placed him in the front rank as a public 
man. Unaided by fortune and unassisted by power 
ful friends, he entered the Local Legislature, where 
his talents were at once perceived and appreciated. 
He is an accomplished and fluent debater, the 
acknowledged champion of Liberal principles 
upon the floor of the House, and the repre 
sentative Roman Catholic of the Province of 
Ontario. In the management of the Department 
of Public Works, he has developed administrative 
ability of a high order, and conducted the public 
affairs entrusted to his charge with zeal and efficiency. 
A young man, his advancement has been rapid and 
well deserved, honestly and fairly won, and his in 
fluence may be counted among the potent forces 
which must guide the ship of state not only in 
Ontario but also in the Dominion. 

SIR WILLIAM B. RICHARDS. 

The Hon. Sir William Buell Richards first saw 
light in the Town of Brockville, May 2nd, 1815. 
After attending the Johnstown District Grammar 
School and an academy at Potsdam, New York, 
he studied law with Andrew Norton Buell, Esq., 
and subsequently with the late Judge George Mai- 
loch, and was called to the Bar of Upper Canada in 
Michaelmas Term, 1837. He soon entered upon an 
extensive and varied practice. In 1849, he was 
elected a Bencher of the Law Society, and in 1850, 
the late Robert Baldwin, then Attorney-General for 
Upper Canada, advanced him, with nine other gentle 
men, to the dignity of a silk gown. 

The members of the Liberal party in the County 
of Leeds, after repeated solicitations, induced the 
future Chief Justice to enter the political arena as a 
Reform condidate, and in January, 1848, he became 
a member of the Canadian Assembly, as memaer for 
Leeds, after a hotly contested campaign. He con 
tinued to hold the seat during active political life, 
and to this day the proudest boast of the pioneer 
Liberals is that they made William Buell Richards 
their representative. In October, 1851, on the retire 
ment of Mr. Baldwin, he reluctantly consented to 
accept the Attorney-Generalship of Upper Canada, 
in the Liberal administration of Sir Francis Ilincks, 



but in June 1853, he succeeded the late Mr. Justice 
Sullivan as a Puisne Judge of the Court of Common 
Pleas. Ten years later, he was advanced to the 
Chief Justiceship of the same Court, and in Novem 
ber, 1868, he was appointed Chief Justice of the 
Province of Ontario. In October, 1875, upon the 
organization of the Supreme Court of the-Dominion, 
he was offered and accepted the highest judicial 
office in Canada that of Chief Justice of the newly 
constituted Supreme Court. 

Previous to this, he had acted as commissioner, 
on behalf of Ontario, in the determining of the 
north-western boundary of that Province. Again, 
more recently, he discharged the duties of Deputy 
to the Governor-General, during the absence from 
the Dominion capital of the Earl of Dufferin. In 
1877, he w r as knighted by Her Majesty the Queen, 
as a mark of appreciation of his distinguished 
services upon the Bench. 

Chief Justice Richards is esteemed a man of pro 
found legal knowlege and sagacity a judge whose 
decisions, always clear and perspicuous, have seldom 
been reversed on appeal. 

In consequence of continued ill-health, Justice 
Richards resigned, in 1878, his important and 
honorable office, and removed to the south of 
France, where he at the present time resides. 

In 1846, Chief Justice Richards married Deborah 
Catherine, the daughter of Muirhead Butler, Esq., 
Barrister-at-Law, of Niagara, Ontario, a grandson 
of Colonel John Butler, of "Butler s Rangers." 
Mrs. Richards died in March, 1869. 

HON. ALBERT N. RICHARDS. 

Albert Norton Richards is the youngest son of 
the late Stephen Richards, Sr. He was born at 
Brockville, December 8th, 1822, and studied law 
with his brother, the ex-Chief Justice, being called 
to the Bar of L T pper Canada in Michaelmas Term, 
1848. In 1863, he was created a O. C. He became 
a member of the Canadian Assembly, for South 
Leeds, in 1863, retaining his seat until January, 1864, 
when he accepted the office of Solicitor-General 
under the late Sand field McDonald, when he was 
defeated. In 1872, he was elected for the same 
constituency in the House of Commons, remaining 
the member until the House was dissolved in 1874. 
In 1869, he was appointed Attorney-General of the 
Provisional Government of the North-West, accom 
panying the Lieutenant-Governor, the Hon. William 
McDougall, C. 13. 

Removing to British Columbia, he became the 
legal agent of the Dominion Government in that 
Province, being subsequently appointed Lieutenant- 
Governor, July 2oth, 1875, at a salary of $9,000 per 
annum, a position which he still retains. 





CHIEF JUSTICE RICHARDS. 



HON.L.H.HOLTON. 





HON. GEORGE CRAWFORD. 




LIEUT. COL. D.WYLIE. 



LIEUT. Gov. JOHN CRAWFORD. 





R. B. ALGUIRE. 



M. K. EVERTTS. 




CHARLES FERGUSON, M P. 




V. H. MOORE, M.D. 




JOHN H. MORDEN, M.D. 




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HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



187 



In 1849, he married Frances, daughter of the late 
Benjamin Chaffey, Esq.; she died in April, 1853. 
In 1854, he married Ellen Chaffey. 

WILLIAM II. COMSTOCK. 

The Comstocks were among the first settlers of 
the State of Connecticut. In 1795, Samuel Corn- 
stock severed his relations with his native State, 
and removed to Gilbertsville, Otsego County, New 
York, where he located upon the extreme western 
limit of the settlement, at that time considered 
the " far west." 

Samuel s brother, John L. Comstock, of Hartford, 
Connecticut, was the author of Comstock s Chem 
istry and Natural Philosophy," for many years one 
of the standard text books in the United States. 

Samuel raised the following family: Edwin 
Perkins, Albert Lee, Lucius Samuel, John Carlton, 
and George Mills. 

William H. Comstock, the subject of this sketch, 
is the son of Edwin P. Comstock. He was born at 
Batavia, Genesee County, Xew York, on the ist of 
August, 1830, his father having removed to Batavia 
in 1828. Mrs. Edwin Comstock died in 1831, and 
her husband immediately proceeded to New York 
City, where he established an extensive drug and 
medicine business, the connections spreading over 
the entire Union. William H., having acquired a 
knowledge of the trade, in 1854 succeeded the firm 
of Comstock Brothers, continuing the establishment 
in New Yurk, and also opening a branch at Brock- 
ville. In 1864, the head office was removed from 
New York City to Morristown, New York, thus 
securing the personal supervision of the proprietor, 
who manufactures extensively for the Republic, as 
well as for the British Provinces. Having married 
Josephine, daughter of the late Billa Flint, Mr. Com 
stock took up his permanent residence in Brockville, 
becoming a British subject. 

An activ e and far seeing business man, he has 
devoted his energies and means to the improvement 
of the town, and has been instrumental in causing 
the erection of many of the finest and most substan 
tial buildings. As a member of the Town Council, 
he urged forward all necessary improvements with 
untiring zeal, his aim being to make Brockville the 
most beautiful town in Ontario. 

HON. LUTHER HAMILTON HOLTON. 

Mr. Holfin was born in the Township of Lans- 
downe, County of Leeds, in October, 1817. In 1826, 
he removed to Montreal, where he entered upon 
mercantile life, and was for many years member of 
the forwarding firm of Hooker & Holton. 

Entering public life as a Liberal, he has always 
been in accord with that party, and one of its most 



distinguished champions in the Lower Province 
He entered the Canadian Assembly as the member 
for Montreal, retaining the seat from 1854 until 
1857, when he was defeated. He became a member 
of the Legislative Council for the Victoria Division 
in 1862, but resigned in May, 1863, upon being 
appointed Minister of Finance, and was returned 
for the present seat, which he represented until the 
formation of the Union. He was returned to the 
Commons in 1867, 1872, 1874, and 1878. He repre 
sented Montreal Centre in the Local Legislature of 
Quebec previous to the passage of the Act abolishing 
dual representation, leading the English opposition. 
He was a member of the Executive Council of 
Canada from the 2nd to the 6th of August, in the 
short-lived Brown-Dorion Administration, holding 
the office of Commissioner of Public Works for 
Canada, and in the Sandfield McDonald-Dorion 
Administration, that of Minister of Finance. 

Mr. Holton is a member of the Royal Institution 
for the Advancement of Learning, a Governor of 
McGill University, and also holds many leading 
positions in financial and other institutions. He 
has repeatedly occupied the responsible post of 
President of the Board of Trade for the City of 
Montreal. 

The example set by this distinguished son of old 
Leeds County is worthy of emulation, and should 
stimulate our young men to renewed exertion in the 
great battle of life. Mr. Holton won his success by 
honesty, integrity, and untiring industry. Let his 
example be a guiding star to all who reside in or 
depart from the county which has furnished such a 
galaxy of able judges and statesmen for this Canada 
of ours. 

JOHN H. MORDEN, M. D. 

John H. Morden, M. D., is the third son of the 
late Joseph Wilkinson Morden, Esq. His ancestors 
were a county family in England, their crest bearing 
the motto, " Tc Ripsne Pic." 

At the outbreak of the American Revolution, the 
ancestors of the Canadian branch of the family were 
settled in the British Colonies of Pensylvania and 
New Jersey. They were all United Empire Loyalists, 
several of the name serving in the King s army. 
One, who was a non-combatant, was taken prisoner 
by the rebels, tried by a court-martial, condemned, 
and executed for giving aid and comfort to the 
King s forces. At the close of the war, their pro 
perty was confiscated, and they, including the great- 
grandmother of the subject of this sketch, with her 
four sons James, Richard, John, and Joseph - 
proceeded with the British army to Quebec, and 
from thence removed in batteaux to Upper Canada, 
one portion of the family settling in West Flam- 



1 88 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



borough, and the residue in Sophiasburgh. Among 
the latter were the widow and her four sons. 

John, one of the sons, after arriving in Quebec, 
married Eve Bowman, also a member of an United 
Empire Loyalist family. Their first son, Joseph W., 
was born October 2nd, 1879, in Prince Edward 
County. At the age of 16 years, he was enrolled 
in the Canadian Militia, and sent to the fortifications 
at Kingston, serving until the close of the War of 
1812. In 1824, he married Charlotte Benedict, the 
descendant of a Stewart family, a lady who was 
strongly imbued with the guiding principles of the 
Puritans. She was widely known for her consistent 
Christian character, showing by the choice of the 
eighth verse of the fifteenth chapter of St. John, as 
the text for her funeral sermon, what her hope had 
been during life. 

Mr. Morden was an honored member of the Epis 
copal Methodist Church in Canada, liberal in his 
politics and his charities, and one of the first cham 
pions of the temperance cause in Upper Canada. 
In 1834, he erected " Victory Barn," in the Township 
of Cramahe. The barn was a very large one, and 
while the timbers were being framed, he announced 
that no whiskey would be provided for the raising. 
Such a thing as a raising without whiskey had never 
been known in that portion of the county. On the 
appointed day, the settlers from fifteen miles around 
assembled, and formed themselves into two parties. 
The larger one stood aloof, and refused to begin 
unless whiskey was provided, and loudly called 
upon all new arrivals to join them, The smaller 
party set to work amidst tiie jeers of the majority. 
By great exertions, the first bent was put up, when 
those who had stood aloof came forward and assisted 
in completing the raising. For fifty years the build 
ing was known as "Victory Barn." Mr. Morden 
died at Napanee, December zoth, 1877. 

John H. Morden, M. D., was born in 1834, in the 
County of Northumberland. In 1859)16 graduated, 
and immediately settled in Brockville, where he mar 
ried Victoria Elizabeth, daughter of the late Senator 
Crawford. Dr. Morden has always shown the 
warmest interest in elevating the tone of his pro 
fession. He has taken an active part in agricultural 
improvements in Leeds and Grenville, and invariably 
assisted in furthering the prosperity of Brockville. 

BROCKVILLE. 
EARLY HI>TOKY. 

By an Act passed in 1798, in the Second Parlia 
ment, which assembled at Niagara, the boundaries 
of the Counties of Leeds and Grenville were 
specified. 

In 1784, landings were frequently made at Buell s 
Bay by the westward-bound emigrants, but owing 



to the rocky nature of the land where Brockville 
now stands, no location of a permanent character 
appears to have been made until the arrival of* 
William Buell, Sr., who erected the first house within 
the present limits, it being constructed of logs. 
Adiel Sherwood built the first tavern. Daniel Jones 
built the first mill. It was situated at the falls on 
the creek, near the site of the present Shepherd mill. 
Mr. Buell got out the timber for the mill, the under 
standing being that he was to have a half interest 
for his share. Charles Jones put up the first frame 
dwelling, and opened one of the first stores. The 
first brick house was erected by Dr. Hubbell, the 
building being now used as a dwelling and printing 
office by A. H. Merrill. The second brick building 
is yet standing, being occupied by Wood Brothers 
as a cigar store. The first stone house was built by 
Nehemiah Simmons. 

In consequence of the quarrelsome nature of some 
of the settlers, the little place received the name of 
" Snarlingtown," by which it was well known for 
many years. Gradually increasing in importance, 
it assumed the name, Village of Elizabethtown ; but 
in 1811, an attempt appears to have been made to 
change it to Williamstown. Report says tiiat the 
Buell and Jones families were both anxious to give 
it their own patronymic, and, to settle the dispute, 
the question was referred to Sir Isaac Brock, who 
conferred upon it the honor of becoming Brockville. 
On the mil of September, r8ii, William Buell, 
Sr., issued a map, which was prepared by Jeremiah 
McCarthy, Senior Deputy Surveyor for Upper and 
Lower Canada. At the top of the map appears the 
following superscription : 

" Plan and Survey of Williamstown, in the Township of Eliza- 
"bethtown, founded by William Buell, Ks juire, proprietor of the 
"right of sod of said town plot." 

At the foot of the map, the following superscrip 
tion appears : 

"PLAN of the Village of Elkabethlown, being part of the pro 
perty of William Buell, Esquire, situated in front of his lands, a-id 
"laid out in lots, according to this plan, into town lots, of which 
" the following have been disposed of, prior to the delineation of 
"this plan, and are marked with the initials of the purchasers 
"names. The whole accurately laid down and projected by a scale 
"of one hundred feet to an inch. 

(Signed,) "JKRKM1A1I M. CART11Y, 
" Senior Deputy Snnv_\vr _/<> I fpcr anJ I.ouvr Canada. 

"Elizabethtown, September I2th, 1811." 

LIST or PARTIES WHO HAD TAKEN n> LOTS ON TIIK AIJOVE 
PROPERTY, AT THE Anovi: DATE. 

Adiel Sherwood, Andrew Smith, Anna Provost, 

Charles Jones, Charles Dunham, Allan C urtis, 

Abraham Dayton, Levius P. Sherwood, Reuben Sherwood, 

Sabina Flynn, Klnathan Hubbell, Henry Deming, 

Sabina Buell, James Hall, Archibald Kincaid, 

Willard & Lewis, Henry Shepherd. 

(Subsequently, the following names appear [< Inv ln: ii n.<Me I.) 
Samuel McNish, David Harmon, ;.ln.n Kk li.mi .. 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



189 



The Montreal Telegraph Office corner was then 
occupied by Adiel Sherwood. Andrew Smith lived 
on Harding s drug store corner. The remainder of 
the dwellings on Main Street were owned by Elna- 
than Hubbell, Stephen Richards, James Hall, Anna 
Provost, Charles Jones, Abraham Dayton, and Samuel 
McXisli, the total number of buildings, including 
barns, being twenty-six. 

Among the early merchants were Charles Jones, 
Ephraim Jones, Pease & Easton, Billa Flint, S. & H. 
Jones, Hiram Spafford, who kept a credit and also a 
cash store ; Paul Glassford, Moses Maynard & Co., 
Andrew Norton and J. P. Buell, Booth & Buell, 
Hodgins, E. Hubbell, Samuel Pennock, Adiel Sher 
wood, Stephen Richards, William Hayes, Harvey 
Billings & Co. 

Brcckville has been fruitful of distinguished 
members of the legal profession, the following 
being a partial list : Levius P. Sherwood, Bolton, 
John Bogart, Jonas Jones, Daniel Jones, David 
Jones, D. B. O. Ford, George Malloch, Henry Sher 
wood, George Sherwood, A N. Buell, William B. 
Richards, Stephen Richards, A. N. Richards, R. F. 
Steele, William Sherwood, and W. H. Ellerbeck. 

Among the first physicians were Dr. Hubbell, Dr. 
Gilmour, Dr. Henderson, who resided below the 
town : Dr. Stratford, Dr. Edmondson, Dr. McQueen, 
and Dr. Reynolds. 

When first settled, the site of the town was rugged 
and in marked contrast to the present appearance. 
From Court House Avenue to Gilmour s Corner 
there was a descent, with a hill at the corner of 
Buell Street, which had to be cut down at that 
point some six feet, and the debris thrown into the 
hollow in front of the Central Block. The boys 
went swimming in a pond where S. G. Easton s 
grocery now stands. On the site of the Gilmour 
store, and crossing the road to the premises of the 
late Dr. Edmonc .son, was a ravine which would 
hide a load of hay from an observer standing at 
the foot of Court House Avenue. The small arch 
way near Empy s tin-shop was used as a drive for 
all kinds of loads entering the back yard of a tavern 
which was kept in the brick building on the corner 
<>f King and Broad Streets. Opposite Ormond 
Street, the highway has been raised about five feet. 

On the 28th of June, 1832, an Act was passed to 
establish a body corporate and politic in fact and 
law, by the name of the President and Board of 
Police of Brockville. The town was divided into 
t v.i i Wards, East and West, the division line being 
.udrew Street and the west side of Court House 
Avenue and Square. The Act provided that all 
by-laws must be published in a newspaper before 
thrv became law. 



The East Ward market place was established 
February 131!), 1833, by a special Act of Parliament, 

The first Board of Police assembled at the Court 
House, on the 5th day of April, 1832, the members 
elected being Jonas Jones and Henry Sherwood for 
the East, with Samuel Pennock and John Murphy 
for the West Ward. The Board elected Daniel 
Jones, the fifth man, making him the first President. 
William M. Hynes was appointed Clerk! 

The first act recited that a fire engine should be 
purchased, the cost not to exceed ^125. 

George Crawford was appointed Treasurer ; John 
Reid, Bailiff for the East Ward ; David Fairbairn, 
Bailiff for the West Ward ; John Price, Assessor ; 
William Hayes, Surveyor of Streets ; David Fair- 
bairn, Collector ; James Kennedy, High Bailiff ; 
Philip J. Musson, first Pound-keeper. 

Alexander Grant was appointed Captain and 
Engineer of the first Fire Company, which was to 
consist of forty-eight men, who were to provide, at 
their own cost, suitable uniform. 

On the 2nd of May, 1832, the first licenses were 
granted to keep groceries. John Farrell, Alexander 
Starr, and Richard Shirlock received the same. 

The first case recorded before the Board of Police 
was against Seth S. Cornell, charged with riding at 
an immoderate pace on the street. Fined $s. and 
costs, May 2nd, 1832. In the same month, Alex. 
Starr, George Barnhard, and George Booth, were 
also fined for firing guns within the limits. 

James Hillis, Erastus Holden, Walter H. Denaut, 
Asa W. Graves, and Ormond Jones were brought 
before the Board, charged with cantering horses 
through the public streets. They were acquitted, 
and Constable William Smith dismissed for having 
failed to establish the indictment. 

The assessment for the year 1832 was two pence 
on the pound. 

On the iSth of June, 1832, Andrew Donaldson was 
appointed a special constable. 

In the year 1833, the High Bailiff was allowed a 
salary of ^25, and -j iy.f. 6</. for acting as Assessor. 

The members of the Board for 1832 were re-elected 
in 1833. They appointed Alexander Morris thefifth 
man, Jonas Jones becoming President. 

A largenumberof special constables were appointed 
en the 3rd of April, among the number being James 
Kincaicl, Luther Iloiighton, Abel Cole, and Walter 
H. Denaut. Albert McLean was made Clerk. 

The Hoard for isted of Henry Jones, 

George Malloch, Juhn Murphy, and James Hall. 
They failing to decide upon a fifth man, Daniel 
Jones was elected, and subsequently appointed 
President by the Hoard; Alfred Hall, Clerk, at a 
salary of ,{^5 ; Stephen. Richards, Street Surveyor ; 



190 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



Samuel Pennock, Treasurer ; William Pritchard, 
High Constable, Assessor and Collector ; Thomas 
Godkin and Henry Adamson, Constables. 

On the i4th of May, i834,\Varren Botsford applied 
for a grocer s license. The request was not granted, 
as Mr. Botsford was under age. Robert Fitzsimmons 
obtained a grocer s license June gth, 1834. 

In August, of the same year, a raid was made on 
the steamboat captains for entering the Port of 
Brockville on Sunday, and ringing the bells on the 
steamers. All the captains were fined. 

In 1835, the Board stood: Ormond Jones and J. 
K. Hartwell, East Ward ; David Mair and James 
Hall, West Ward. Richard F. Steele, Clerk. 

BOARD FOR 1836. George Malloch and Samuel 
Reynolds, East Ward ; Samuel Pennock and John 
Murphy, West Ward ; Paul Glassford, the fifth mem 
ber ; George Malloch, President ; William F. Meu- 
dell, Clerk ; Stephen Richards, Street Surveyor ; F. 
L. Lothrop, Treasurer; John H. Smith, Chief Con 
stable ; John Bogart, Solicitor. 

In this year, all the subordinate officers were 
removed. 

On the 3oth of May, 1836, George O Brien, William 
Oakey, and others were fined for selling bread with 
out having the weight of each loaf stamped upon 
the same. 

FOR 1837. Henry Jones and J. K. Hartwell, East 
Ward ; R. D. Fraser and William Hayes, West Ward; 
Hon. Charles Jones, fifth man and President ; R. F. 
Steele, Clerk ; Stephen Richards, Street Surveyor ; 
E. J. Hubbell, Treasurer. 

The Board met at 4 P. M., each Monday. 
On the loth of April, 1837, William Dack w?.s 
appointed High Constable, Assessor and Collector. 

FOR 1838. John Bogart and Geo. Sherwood, East 
Ward ; Wm. Hayes and Wm. Woods, West Ward ; 
David Jones, fifth man and President ; R. F. Steele, 
Clerk ; Thomas Doak, High Constable, Assessor, 
and Collector. 

FOR 1839. John Bogart and George Sherwood, 
EastWard ; Isaac Beecherand Bradish Kilborn,West 
Ward ; Ephraim Dunham, fifth man and President ; 
R. F. Steele, Clerk ; Andrew Clarke, High Constable 
and Assessor ; Thomas D Campbell. Treasurer. 

In this year many persons were fined for riding 
on the flagged sidewalk. 

FOR 1840. The Board assembled on April 6th. 
George Malloch and George Sherwood, East Ward ; 
Billa Coleman and Benjamin Chaffey, West Ward ; 
John Reid, the fifth man ; and George Sherwood, 
President. 

Assessment," two pence on the pound, and one 
halfpenny for the representative in Parliament. 



FOR 1841. Thomas D. Campbell and D. B. O. 
Ford, East Ward ; Abel Cole and William Woods, 
WestWard; John Reid, fifth member; and Thomas 
D. Campbell, President. 

On the 26th of April, 1841, R. F. Steele resigned 
as Clerk, and William Hayes was appointed. 

FOR 1842. John Weatherhead and Wm. Parkin, 
East Ward ; George W.Arnold and Adam Anderson, 
West Ward ; D. B. O. Ford, fifth man and President, 

FOR 1843. William Parkin and John Taylor, East 
Ward ; Billa Coleman and William Harrison, West 
Ward ; William Buell, fifth man and President ; 
John O Hara, Clerk. 

The Council met once a fortnight, at 10 P. M. 

FOR 1844. Harris E.Russell and John McElhinney, 
East Ward ; Robert Edmondson and Abel Cole, West 
Ward ; William Buell, fifth man and President ; J. 
O Hare, Clerk. 

FOR 1845. Thomas Webster and Roderick McLean, 
EastWard ; David Mair and Abel Cole, WestWard ; 
George Crawford, the fifth man ; Thomas Webster, 
President ; Worship B. McLean, Clerk. 

FOR 1846. Ormond Jones and Thomas Hume, 
East Ward ; David Mair and Abel Cole, West Ward; 
George Crawford, fifth man and President ; W. B. 
McLean, Clerk. 

FOR 1847. William B. Richards and James B. 
Powell, East Ward ; David Mair and William Fitz 
simmons, West Ward ; George Crawford, fifth man 
and President ; W. B. McLean, Clerk ; S. Richards, 
Street Surveyor. 

FOR 1848. D. B. O. Ford and Ormond Jones, East 
Ward ; David Mair and William Fitzsimmons, West 
Ward; Robert Peden, fifth member ; Ormond Jones, 
President ; W. B. McLean, Clerk. 

FOR 1849. The Board assembled on June 3rd. 
William Parkin and John Reid, East Ward ; Robert 

Peden and John , West Ward ; John Crawford, 

fifth man and President ; W. B. McLean, Clerk. 

The Act establishing a Police Board was repealed 
May 30th, 1849, as also the Acts establishing markets 
in the East and West Wards. In the same year, the 
general Municipal Act was passed, which provided 
that Brockville should consist of the front halves of 
the Township lots numbers 10, n, 12 and 13, and the 
west half of No. 9, and east half of No. 14, in the 
ist Concession of Elizabethtown, extending to the 
water s edge, and also 300 yards beyond, also includ 
ing the island. 

It was divided into three Wards, the Centre, East, 
and West. The Centre Ward comprised all that 
part of the front half of the west half of Township 
lot ir, and of the front half of the east half of No. 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE, 



191 



12, extending from the southerly limit to the 
northerly limit. The East Ward comprised the 
remainder of the town east of the Centre Ward ; 
and the West Ward, the remainder west of the 
Centre Ward. 

Three Councillors were to be chosen from each 
Ward, who elected from themselves a Mayor. The 
Council elected a Reeve to represent the town in 
the Counties Council, and also a Deputy Reeve, 
when the number of assessed freeholders and house 
holders reached 500. 

The first Town Council assembled June 2ist, 1850. 
It consisted of Robert Peden, Ogle R. Gowan, and 
F. L. Lothrop, for the West Ward ; Allan Turner, 
Charles Vanornam, and Henry Walsh, for the Centre 
Ward ; John Crawford, John Reid, and William 
Parkin, for the East Ward. Robert Peden was 
appointed the first Mayor ; John Reid, the first 
Reeve ; William Parkin, Deputy Reeve ; and W. 
B. McLean, Clerk. 

COUNCIL FOR 1851. 

East Ward John Crawford, George Sherwood, 
Benjamin Dickinson ; Centre Ward John Anderson, 
Henry Walsh, Andrew Donaldson; West Ward 
Robert Peden, George Crawford, and F. L. Lothrop. 
George Sherwood, Mayor and Reeve ; Benjamin 
Dickinson, Deputy Reeve. 

FOR 1852. East Ward : John Reid, Charles E. 
Jones, James Parr; Centre Allan Turner, W. H. 
Ellerbeck, Robert Fitzsimmons ; West Robert 
Peden, F. L. Lothrop, and William McCullough. John 
Reid, Mayor ; Robert Peden, Reeve ; James Parr, 
Deputy Reeve ; and W. B. McLean, Clerk. 

FOR 1853. East Ward : George Sherwood, Charles 
E. Jones, John Crawford ; Centre Allan Turner, 
Robert Fitzsimmons, William Fitzsimmons ; West 
Robert Peden, F. L. Lothrop, and Robert Edmond- 
son. John Crawford, Mayor ; George Sherwood, 
Reeve ; Robert Peden, Deputy Reeve ; and W. B. 
McLean, Clerk. 

FOR 1854. East Ward : John Crawford, Ormond 
Jones, Alfred Poulton ; Centre Robt. Fitzsimmons, 
William Manley, A. B. Dana ; West F. L. Lothrop, 
W. B. McLean, and William Gilmour. John Craw 
ford, Mayor ; F. L. Lothrop, Reeve ; W. B. McLean, 
Deputy Reeve ; and George S. McLean, Clerk. 

FOR 1855. East Ward : John Crawford, Ormond 
Jones, Alfred Poulton ; Centre Wm. Fitzsimmons, 
John Anderson, J. H. Brooks ; West W. B. McLean, 
Robert Peden, Michael Hunter. John Crawford, 
Mayor and Deputy Reeve ; John Anderson, Reeve. 
J. H. Brooks resigned, and Robert Fitzsimmons was 
elected in his stead. 



FOR 1856. East Ward : John Crawford, Ormond 
Jones, Alfred Poulton; Centre William Buell, 
Robert Fitzsimmons, Dennis Merron ; West W. B. 
McLean, A. B. Dana, and Isaac Beecher. W. B. Mc 
Lean, Mayor and Deputy Reeve ; William Buell, 
Reeve ; and G. S. McLean, Clerk. W. B. McLean 
resigned the mayoralty July i2th, 1856, in conse" 
quence of his having accepted the Deputy County 
Judgeship. William Buell was appointed Mayor for 
the balance of the year. Albert N. Richards was 
elected for the West Ward, rice McLean, resigned. 

FOR 1857. East Ward : John Crawford, Ormond 
Jones, Alfred Poulton ; Centre William Buell, 
Robert Fitzsimmons, Dennis Merron ; West A. B. 
Dana, A. N. Richard, and Isaac Beecher. William 
Buell, Mayor ; Robert Fitzsimmons, Reeve ; and A. 
B. Dana, Deputy Reeve. 

FOR 1858. East Ward: Alfred Poulton, John 
Reynolds, Arthur Parr; Centre Robert Fitzsim 
mons, Andrew Donaldson, Dennis Merron ; West 
A. N. Richards, A. B. Dana, and Isaac Beecher. R. 
Fitzsimmons, Mayor ; A. B. Dana, Reeve ; A. N. 
Richards, Deputy Reeve. 

On the 6th of December, a by-law was introduced, 
withdrawing the town from the jurisdiction of the 
Counties Council for Leeds and Grenville, the final 
reading to be given January nth, 1859. 

FOR 1859. On the iith of January, 1859, the by 
law withdrawing the town from the Counties passed 
its final reading. 

West Ward A. B. Dana, Isaac Beecher, William 
Johnston; Centre Robert Fitzsimmons, Andrew 
Donaldson, William Manley ; East Alfred Poulton, 
Samuel Flint, and John Cowan. Wm. Fitzsimmons, 
Mayor; A. B. Dana, Reeve ; Robert Fitzsimmons, 
Deputy Reeve. 

On the 24th of June, the Counties Council and 
the Town Council being unable to agree upon the 
terms of withdrawal, W. B. McLean was appointed 
arbitrator in behalf of the town. On the 3rd of 
October, the award was brought down, and in the 
same month a proclamation was issued by the 
Government, declaring the Town withdrawn from 
the jurisdiction of the Counties. 

FOR 1860. West Ward : A. B. Dana, Isaac Beecher, 
J. H. Brooks; Centre A. Donaldson, W. Manley, 
R. Fitzsimmons ; East Alfred Poulton, William 
McCullough, J. P. Easton. William Fitzsimmons. 
Mayor ; George S. McLean, Clerk and Treasurer. 

FOR 1861. West Ward : J. H. Brooks, Thomas 
Price, James Carron ; Centre A. B. Dana, Charles 
Vanornam, A.Donaldson; East Alfred Poulton, 
W. McCullough, John Taylor. Robert Edmondson, 
Mayor ; G. S. McLean, Clerk and Treasurer. 



192 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



FOR 1862 West Ward: James Carron, Thomas 
Price, John Anderson ; Centre Robt. Fitzsimmons, 
Henry S. Hubbell, John McMullen ; East Robert 
Peden, W. McCullough, John Taylor. William Fitz 
simmons, Mayor ; George S. McLean, Clerk and 
Treasurer. 

FOR 1863. West Ward : J. Carron, T. Price, J. 
Anderson ; Centre R. Fitzsimmons, A. Poulton, J. 
McMullen ; East J. Taylor, W. McCullough, John 
Stagg, Jr. W. Fitzsimmons, Mayor ; G. S. McLean, 
Clerk and Treasurer. 

FOR 1864. West Ward : J. Carron, T. Price, Fred 
Schofield ; Centre R. Fitzsimmons, W. Manley, 
John Lafayette ; East John Stagg, Jr., John McEl- 
hinney, C. Fletcher. A. B. Dana, Mayor ; George 
S. McLean, Clerk and Treasurer. 

FOR 1865. West Ward : J. Carron, T. Price, J. J. 
Henderson ; Centre R. Fitzsimmons, W. Manley, 
J. Lafayette ; East J. Stagg, Jr., C. Fletcher, John 
McMullen. A. B. Dana, Mayor ; G. S. McLean, 
Clerk and Treasurer. 

FOR 1866. West Ward : James Carron, T. Price, 
J. J. Henderson ; Centre R. Fitzsimmons, David 
Row, R. W. Grant ; East J. Stagg, Jr., C. Fletcher, 

E. J. Senkler, Jr. William Fitzsimmons, Mayor ; G. 
S. McLean, Clerk and Treasurer. 

FOR 1867. West Ward : J. Carron, Thomas Price, 
Fred Schofield ; Centre A. B. Dana, D. Wylie. C. 

F. Fraser ; East John Stagg, Jr., C. Fletcher, John 
McMullen. William Fitzsimmons, Mayor. 

FOR 1868. West Ward : J. Carron, T. Price, W. 
H. Cole ; Centre A. B. Dana, C. F. Fraser, David 
Wylie ; East C. Fletcher, J. McMullen, J. Stagg, 
Jr. E. J. Senkler, Mayor. 

FOR 1869 West Ward : W. H. Cole, T. Price, J. 
Carron; Centre D. Wyliv, C. F. Fraser, R. W. 
Grant ; East C. Fletcher, J. Stagg, Jr., J. McMullen. 
A. B. Dana, Mayor. 

FOR 1870. West Ward : J. Carron, W. H. Cole, 
J. J. Hannan ; Centre C. F. Fraser, D. Wylie, R. 
W. Grant ; East C. Fletcher, J. Stagg, Jr., H. S. 
McDonald. Jacob D. Buell, Mayor. 

FOR 1871. West Ward: J. Carron, W. H. Cole, 
T. Price; Centre C. F. Fraser, D. Wylie, R. W. 
Grant ; East W. II. Jones, J. Stagg, Jr., H. S. Mc 
Donald. J. D. Buell, Mayor. 

Fou 1872. West Ward : J. Carron, George Ilowi- 
son, T. Price; Centre C. F. Fraser, D. Wylie, R. 
W. Grant ; East W. II. Jones, E. H. Burniston, J. 
McMullen. J. D. Buell, Mayor, 

FOR 1873. West Ward : J. Carron, Uri Marshall, 
A. S. McLean ; Centre C. F. Fraser, Wm. Coates, 
A. B. Dana ; East W. II. Jones, E. H. Burniston, J. 
McMullen. J. D. Buell, Ma\<>r. 



FOR 1874. West Ward : J. Carron, E. H. Halla- 
day, A. S. McLean; Centre A. B. Dana, Jarrves 
Ouigg, Thomas Doddridge ; East W. H. Jones, 
E. H. Burniston, J. Stagg, Jr. J. D. Buell, Mayor. 

FOR 1875. West Ward : J. Carron, E. H. Halla- 
day, John M. Gill ; Centre Joseph McGregor, Robt. 
Bowie, D. F. Hayes ; East W. H. Comstock, G. M. 
Cossitt, James Smart. J. D. Buell, Mayor. 

On the 2nd of May, 1874, the Municipal Council 
passed a resolution affirming the expediency of 
making an addition to the limits of the town. On 
the 2ist of August, 1875, the Provincial Secretary 
issued the necessary proclamation, increasing the 
limits to their present dimensions, and also dividing 
the town into the North, East, South, West and 
Centre Wards. The proclamation took effect on 
Monday, January 3rd, 1876. 

FOR 1876. West Ward : A. F. Stagg, John Kyle ; 
North A. D. McDougall, G. M. Cossitt ; Centre 
R. C. Jamieson, W. H. Cole ; South R. Bowie, R. 
M. Fitzsimmons ; East J. Stagg, Jr., W. H. Jones. 
J. D. Buell, Mayor. 

FOR 1877. West Ward : A. F. Stagg, John Kyle ; 
North A. D. McDougall, G. M. Cossitt ; Centre 
R. C. Jamieson, W. H. Comstock ; South Robert 
Bowie, R. M. Fitzsimmons ; East W. H. Jones, J. 
Stagg, Jr. William Fitzsimmons, Mayor. 

FOR 1878. West Ward : William Gilpin, T. Price; 
North George Smith, W. H. Cole ; Centre E. H. 
Halladay, W. H. Comstock ; South G. A. Dana, R. 
Bowie ; East John Ringland, J. Stagg, Jr. William 
Fitzsimmons, Mayor. 

FOR 1879. West Ward : A. F. Stagg, Thomas 
Bennett ; Centre George T. Fulford, W. II. Cole ; 
North George Smith, Matthew White ; South G. 

A. Dana, John Murray ; East V. R. Marshall, John 

B. Arnold. W. H. Jones, Mayor. 

EDUCATIONAL. 

The first schools were of the most primitive 
description, and in many instances the teachers had 
but a limited knowledge of the three Rs, viz., read 
ing, writing, and arithmetic. No documents are in 
existence furnishing statistics and details. 

About forty years ago, a Mr. Porteus taught in a 
stone building situated at the corner of Perth and 
King Streets ; I. M. Smith also taught in the Rock 
School-house, on Perth Street. Mr. Hynes, father 
of Charles J. Hynes, of Prescott, kept a school in 
the rough-cast house, now the site of the stable in 
the rear of the residence of the late Dr. Edmondson. 
Mr. Elms, a noted teacher in his day, conducted a 
school for some time in Mr. McMillan s building, in 
the rear of the Court House, and also in the portion 





RESIDENCE OF JOHN S. LEGGETT, BROCKVILLE. 




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HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



of the house now occupied by Mr. George Glassford, 
lames Street. At one time a school was kept in the 
building now known as the St. Lawrence Hall ; it 
was taught by the Dick Brothers. The building 
nearly opposite the RECORDER Office, in which the 
late Jesse Andrews kept an hotel, was also used as 
a school-house. 

The late Hon. Charles Jones deeded a lot for a 
school site. The present High School stands upon 
the property. 

The School Law, which was in operation until 
1847, divided the town into three school wards, 
each of which selected its own Trustees, who acted 
independently of the remaining wards. 

At the first meeting of the Board, under the new 
Act of 1849, Dr. Reynolds was elected Chairman, 
and Colonel Wylie, Secretary. Upon visiting the 
schools, it became apparent that unless better accom 
modations were provided, both pupils and teachers 
would suffer. The RECORDER brought the matter 
before the public, and, through evil and good report, 
maintained that a building, commensurate with the 
wants of the town, should be erected. The result 
was the Victoria School, built in 1855. Next came 
the West Ward and East Ward Schools, both com 
modious structuies. 

BROCK LODGE, I. O. O. F. 

Brock Lodge was instituted on the 5th of March, 
1846, it being the ninth lodge of the Independent 
Order of Odd Fellows organized in Canada. The 
following were the charter members : George Sher 
wood, John Reynolds, George Morton, Thomas 
Webster, and James Goodive. 

The lodge first assembled in a building where the 
store of Edward Lawless now stands. Among the 
early members were Thomas Reynolds, M. D., John 
Bacon, William Mathie, William Fitzsimmons, G. 
W. Arnold, John Chaffey, Edward Lawless, George 
McGibbon, William II. Wilson, Ormond Jones, John 
G. Leavitt, Thomas Mair, James Crawford, Welling 
ton Landon, Allan Turner, John Crawford, Samuel 
B. Clark, and John McElhinney. The original lodge 
room was over the store of Christopher Fletcher, 
from which place it was removed to Fitzsimmon s 
Block, and from thence to its present elegant 
quarters in the Ross Block. 

Of the nine lodges of the Order first instituted in 
Canada, Brock Lodge alone remains, it having the 
honor of being the parent of most of the lodges in 
Eastern Ontario. From its portals have gone forth 
many distinguished Odd Fellows, it having con 
tributed two Grand Master, viz., Dr. Reynolds and 
William Fitzsimmons, M.I . Even the Grand Lodge 
of Canada owes its existence to Brock Lodge, as it 



was through the influence of Brockville members 
that the Grand Lodge was organized. The several 
lodges in Canada West were notified to meet at 
Brockville on the 2^rd of August, 1855, for the 
purpose of instituting a Grand Lodge, to be called 
"The Grand Lodge of Canada West," when thirteen 
representatives were present, and took their seats in 
the new Grand Lodge : Brock Lodge being repre 
sented by Hon. George Sherwood and William Fitz 
simmons. The lodge was duly organized, and Dr. 
Reynolds was elected first Grand Master, and 
William Fitzsimmons, Grand Treasurer, the latter 
being re-elected for several years. W. H. Cole, 
M. P. P., a member of old Brock, was subsequently 
elected Grand Patriarch of the Encampment. At 
the present time the lodge is in a flourishing state, 
John Wilson being the Noble Grand (March, 1879.) 

CENTRAL BLOCK. 

This elegant brick block, the finest in the town, 
has a frontage of 220 feet, the stores averaging about 
90 feet in depth. The structure is one that would 
do credit to any Canadian city, and its construction 
reflects the greatest credit upon the enterprise of 
our citizens. The stores are the property of the 
following gentlemen : 

No. i (commencing at the east) M. McGlade, the 
first flat being devoted to a billiard parlor one of 
the finest in Central Canada. 

No. 2. George Shields, owner ; occupied by P. 
Browne & Co., grocers and spirit merchants. 

Nos. 3 and 4. George Thompkins, owner; occu 
pied by W. R. McRea & Co., and Wilson & Co. 

No. 5. P. W. Strong, owner ; occupied by Chas. 
Best as a boot and shoe store, the establishment 
being the largest of the kind in Brockville. A. 
Stoddard Southworth occupies the second flat in 
the store of P. W. Strong as a dental surgery. Dr. 
Southworth is a graduate of the Pennsylvania 
Dental College, and also of the Dental College for 
Ontario. 

No. 6. Archibald McDougall, owner; occupied 
by Charles G. Griffin, hatter, furrier, and taxidermist. 

Nos. 7 and 8. Seaman Manhard, owner ; occupied 
respectively by Beacock & Co. as a trunk factory, in 
which the finest work is made; and Manhard & Booth, 
dealers in flour and feed, also proprietors of a steam 
saw mill, planing mill, sash and blind factory, and 
lumber yard. 

No. 9. Archibald McDougall, owner ; occupied 
by Ezra McDougall as a stove depot and tin shop. 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



LEGGETT S CARRIAGE WORKS, 
JOHN STRKKT. 

Mr. John S. Leggett was born in the County of 
Leeds, and having acquired a knowledge of the 
carriage business removed to New York City, where 
he was employed in several of the largest carriage 
factories on this continent. Returning to his native 
Province, he established the present factory In 
Brockville. During his sojourn here lie has built 
some of the finest carriages that have ever been 
constructed in Canada. His motto is ; The best 
work in the market," and he well deserves the 
excellent reputation which he has acquired. See 
view of residence. 

STARR, GILL & COMPANY S 

STEAM BISCUIT AND COXFKCTIOXKKV FACTORY, 
CHURCH SHUCK ]. 

This extensive establishment, situated on Church 
Street, but a short distance from the St. Lawrence 
Hall, is conducted by John M. and Robert Gill. 
The business is an extensive one, and its connections 
extend over the greater portion of the Province of 
Ontario. The biscuit and confectionery manufac 
tured have maintained the reputation of the makers 
against all rivals, while constantly augmented sales 
demonstrate the satisfactory relations which exist 
heUvecn the firm and customers. 

Prominent among the manufacturing industries 
of the town are the Novelty Works of James Smart, 
the Agricultural Implement Works of G. M. Cossitt 
& Brother; the Iron Works of Smart & Shepherd ; 
the Victor Wringer Works, of Smith & Company; 
the Glove Factory of James Hall; the Tannery of 
A. G. McCrcady & Son ; the Boiler Works of Black 
Brothers ; the Sash and Blind Factory of Tilley & 
Briggs ; the Nitre-glycerine Works of Dr. Volney : 
the Sulphuric Acid and Superphosphate Works of 
the Brockville Chemical Company ; the Machine 
Shops of the Brockville and Ottawa and Canada 
Central Railway ; the Machine Shops of the Grand 
Trunk Railway ; the Alkali Works of James Cowan ; 
and various minor establishments. 

CANADA METHODIST CHURCH. 

This Society was formed by the Rev. Isaac Puffer, 
who acted as pastor, and established services, which 
wore held in the Court House. The church was 
erected in 1828, and has been twice remodelled 
since. The membership at present is about 250, 
the Rev. James Elliott, D.D., being the present pastor. 



TRINITY CHURCH. 

This church was established July 4th. 1875, to 
meet the requirements of the parish, the members 
of which had, up to that date, worshipped -at St. 
Peter s. The building is an elegant structure of 
blue limestone, and when the tower is completed 
will present a very beautiful appearances. It was 
erected in 1876, and dedicated in May, 1877. The 
pastor, the Rev. E. P. Crawford, has been untiring 
in his exertions in behalf of the new church, which 
has already cost about 20,000. 

THE BAPTIST CHURCH. 

The new church is situated on the site of the old 
one the south-east corner of Court House Square. 
The edifice is of blue limestone, appropriately faced 
with white crystalized limestone, and in architec 
tural beauty lias no peer in Central Canada. In 
1844, the first Baptist Church of Brockville was 
dedicated upon the present site by Dr. Bovd. At 
that time the membership was twenty ; it has since 
increased to 145. The Rev. Mr. Montgomery is the 
present pastor. The dedication services were held 
Sunday, March 2jrd. 1879. 

MKTHOIMST EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 

After the disruption of the Methodist Church, the 
members of the Methodist Episcopal Church erected 
as a place of worship the building now occupied by 
W. Botsford as a grocery store. The Society was 
not prosperous, and eventually services ceased to be 
held with regularity. The present church was 
erected principally through the exertions of the 
Rev. A. D. Traveller. In 1874, the contract was 
awarded, though the membership was only thirteen. 
On the iith of March, 1875, the church was dedi 
cated by the Rev. Dr. Ives. The building is an 
elegant brick structure, with 400 sittings. The 
Society is in a flourishing condition, the membership 
being n early 200. 

ST. Fu. \\cis XAVIKK CHUKCH. 

The present church was erected in 1855, under the 
pastorate of the Rev. Father Kelly, who was suc 
ceeded by the Rev. Dr. O Brien, now the Right 
Rev. Lord Bishop of Kingston. Under the guid 
ance of Dr. O Brien, the congregation rapidly 
increased, the church debt was paid, and muiiY 
important improvements made. The church is a 
substantial limestone structure, with a seating 
capacity for 1,000. It is provided with a superior 
organ, the cost of which was 1,600. 

In 1876, an elegant and substantial reside; 
erected for the parish priest, the Rev. I. J. McCarthy, 
who succeeded Dr. O Brien. 




VIEW OF THE BATTLE OF WINDMILL POINT, below Presoott, 

(From the. Ogdensburg Side of the St. Lawrence), November 13, 1: 




HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



95 



ST. JOHN S (SCOTCH PRESBYTERIAN) CHURCH 
Is a substantial stone edifice, situated on King 1 
Street, towards the east end of the town. It was 
built in 1837, during the pastorate of the Rev. 
Peter Colin Campbell, afterwards Professor of Greek 
in Queen s College, Kingston, and subsequently 
Principal of the University of Aberdeen, Scotland. 
His successors are, Rev. John Cruikshank, inducted 
in 1843 ; Rev. Thos. Haig, in 1848; Rev. John White, 
in 1851 ; and Rev. Duncan Morrison, in 1856. The 
present incumbent, the Rev. Daniel McGillivray, is 
a son of Mr. Alexander McGillivray, of Salt Springs, 
Xova Scotia. His preliminary education was com 
pleted in the old Pictou Academy, Nova Scotia. 
In 1861, he entered the Arts course in Oucen s 
College, and obtained leading prizes in both the 
mathematical and classical departments, and "honor- 
a jle distinction" in all the classes. In 1864. he 
obtained the degree of B. A. In 1867, he was 
inducted into St. John s congregation, which he 
has successfully retained up to the present time. 

PKI:-I;\ TERIAN Cm KCH. 

For sketch of the early history, consult memoir of 
the late Rev. William Smart. The present church, 
the erection of which was commenced in 1878, will 
be, when completed, one of the finest in Eastern 
Ontario. The walls are of blue limestone, faced 
with Ohio freestone. The edifice is surmounted by 
four spires, giving the structure a picturesque effect. 
The seating capacity will be about 900. In every 
respect the church will be furnished with the latest 
improvements. Cost, about. S3?, ceo. 

T. M. BROOKE. 

T. M. Brooke, son of Thomas Brooke, of Perth, 
was born in that town in 1848. Mr. Brooke entered 
the law office of the late W. M. Shaw, concluding 
his course with Kenneth Mackenzie. He was called 
to the Bar in 1872, and became a member of the 
firm of Mackenzie, Delemar &. Brooke, Toronto. On 
II. S. McDonald, Esq., being appointed Junior Judge, 
Mr. Brooke removed to Brockville, where he lias 
practiced his profession. 

FRED SCHOFIELD. 

Mr. Schoficld was born at Brockville in 1836. 
After receiving an elementary education at the 
Grammar School, he entered upon the study of law, 
and subsequently became a partner of Sherwood & 
Steele, at Ottawa. Removing to Brockville, Mr. 
Schofield practiced his profession for two years, and 
on the 9th of April, 1873, was appointed Treasurer 
for the United Counties of Leeds and Grcnville, a 
position which he still retains. lie has always been 
a prominent member of the Liberal Conservative 
party, and holds the office of President of the Con 
servative Association for Brockville Riding. 



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LIEUT.-GOVERNOR JOHN CRAWFORD. 

John Crawford, O. C., was the second son of the 
late Senator George Crawford. He was born in the 
County of Cavan, Ireland, in 1817, and educated at 
Toronto. He married the daughter of the late 
Judge Sherwood of that city, and was called to the 
Bar of Upper Canada in Trinity Term, 1839. In 
1867, he was created a Q. C. He was also the 
Lieutenant-Colonel of the 5th Battalion of the 
Toronto Militia, President of the Toronto and Nipis- 
sing Railway Company, and also of the Royal 
Canadian Bank. From 1861 to 1863, he represented 
Toronto East in the Canadian Assembly, when he 
was defeated. He became a member of the House 
of Commons for South Leeds at the time of the 
union, representing that riding until 1872, when he 
was returned for Toronto West. On November 5th, 
1873, he was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of On 
tario, at a salary of $10,000 per annum. He died 
suddenly, in April, 1875. 

JOHN M< MULLEN, ESQ. 

Mr. McMullen, for the last^ quarter of a century 
editor of the Brockville J/w// /<>;-, has won for himself 
a prominent place in Canadian literature by the 
publication of "The Camp and Barrack Room, "and 
The History of Canada." The latter work has met 
with an extensive sale, not only in Canada, but also 
in England, and has been highly commended by 
competent critics. Its compilation involved exten 
sive research, a careful analysis and comparison of 
manuscripts and rare documents seldom found in 
works treating upon Canada. Mr. McMullen is a 
terse and vigorous writer, and has given no slight 
aid to the literature of his adopted country, which 
should serve as an incitive to those who are yet to 
labor in the same field. 

SAMUEL KEEPER, C. E., 

Has grown up with the public works of Canada, 
with which, during the best years of an active life, 
he has been more or less identified, having at dif 
ferent times filled the responsible offices of Chief 
Engineer of the Department of Public Works, Chief 
Assistant Engineer of the Grand Trunk Railway, 
Supervising Engineer of the Brockville and Ottawa 
Railway. Government Inspector of Railways, Deputy 
Commissioner of Public Works, previous to Con 
federation, and, since that event, Secretary to the 
Canal Commission of the Dominion. 

Mr. Keefer is of German parentage, both on his 
father s and on his mother s side. He is the grand 
son of an U. E. Loyalist, whose son, George Keefer 
(iiis father), settled in Canada after the close of the 
the Revolutionary War. Mr. Keefer was burn at 
Thorold, in tlr.- Niagara District, now the County 



196 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



of Welland ; educated at Upper Canada College, 
Toronto ; began his engineering career early in life 
upon the first construction of the Welland Canal 
and continued upon the works until 1833, spending 
part of his time at the College. In this year he was 
appointed Secretary to the Commissioners of the 
St. Lawrence Navigation a mere step to connect 
him with the works of the Cornwall Canal. Under 
Judge Wright, C. E., and John B. Mills, C. E., he 
was first engaged in the survey for that Canal, and 
afterwards under Lieut-Colonel Phillpotts, R. E., 
from 1833 to 1839, remained as resident engineer in 
charge of construction. In 1839, he was appointed 
Secretary of the Board of Works of Lower Canada, 
and, upon the union of the two Provinces in 1841, 
and the establishment of a Board of Works for the 
united Provinces, he was made Engineer of that 
Board, which position he held for thirteen years, 
during three of which 1846, 47 and 48 he was 
locally in charge of the Welland Canal, to finish the 
first enlargement, begun under Samuel Power, C. E. 
During this time, he was also Superintendent of the 
navigation. As Engineer of Public W T orks he per 
sonally surveyed and located the line of the Beau- 
harnois Canal, the first enlargement of the Lachine 
Canal, and the locks and dams at St. Annes and St. 
Ours, all being constructed after his plans. He also 
made a survey for the Sault St. Marie Canal, on the 
Canadian shore, not yet constructed. He surveyed 
as well, the line for the Grand Trunk Railway 
between Montreal and Kingston. In 1850, Mr. 
Reefer introduced, for the first time on the St. 
Lawrence canals, the solid timber lock gates, which 
since then have been generally adopted on the 
larger canals, to the greater safety and advantage 
of navigation. The beautiful suspension bridge at 
Ottawa, the first of its class in Canada, was one of 
his earliest efforts, being opened for traffic in 1844. 

On the commencement of the Grand Trunk Rail 
way, in 1853, he resigned his position with the 
Government, to take the situation of Engineer in 
that railway, under the late A. M. Ross, C. E. In 
that capacity he finally established the line between 
Montreal and Kingston which he had previously 
surveyed for the Government, and remained in the 
service of the company to personally superintend 
its construction. At the same time, by a minute 
hydrographic survey of the River St. Lawrence in 
front of Montreal City, he fixed the line of the Vic 
toria Bridge where it no\v stands. He also projected 
the high level bridges over the Ottawa at St. Annes, 
and over the Rideau Canal at Kingston Mills. On 
the first opening of this section for traffic, he, for a 
short time, superintended this division, until he 
returned once ni irc to the GM\ rrnmrtii service. 



During this time he was also Supervising Engineer 
of the Brockville & Ottawa Railway, acting on behalf 
of the company and the municipalities, and in that 
capacity directed the location of the line and deter 
mined the character of the works. Under the 
"Accidents on Railways " Act of 1857, Mr. Keefer 
was appointed Government Inspector of Railways, 
a position which he filled for seven years. In 1864, 
he retired from the public service to his private 
residence in Brockville, where he now lives. 

Since his retirement from official life, he has been 
engaged in the private practice of his profession, in 
the course of which he has accomplished one of the 
most remarkable engineering feats of the day the 
construction of the new suspension bridge at Niagara 
Falls. The beautiful bridge at Ottawa, before re 
ferred to, is 242 feet span, while the Niagara bridge 
has a clear span of 1,268 feet, and is now the longest 
single span bridge anywhere in use. 

EARLY HISTORY OF BROCKVILLE. 

William Buell, Sr., received a grant of about 505 
acres of land from the Crown, of which 265 acres 
were composed of the west half of Lot No. n and 
east half of Lot No. 12, in the ist Concession of 
Elizabethtown, with the broken fronts, and the 
remainder being Lot No. 12 and the west half of 
No. n, in the 2nd Concession of the same Township. 
To the front part of this land, adjoining the river, 
Mr. Buell removed, with his wife and one child, in 
the winter of the beginning of 1785, having in the 
previous year erected a log house and settled. He 
at once cleared a small piece of ground, where the 
stone dwelling house now occupied by Mr. Robert 
Findlay stands ; and in the following year planted 
a number of apple seeds, from the product of which 
he, in a few years, reared an orchard of about five 
acres, on the south side of what is now known as 
Main Street, between Home and St. Andrew Streets. 
At that time flour could only be secured in Montreal 
or at the Cataraqui Mills. The original log house 
and a new one composed of hewn timber was next 
erected. The western part of the new house stood 
in what is now known as Home Street, a few feet 
east of Mr. Findlay s present residence. An addition 
of frame was subsequently built on to the " Block 
House." 

The only road at that time leading to the country 
is now known as Perth Street. 

Nehamiah Seaman built a small dwelling house 
and also a blacksmith shop. He afterwards erected 
a stone dwelling house, now standing on the corner 
of Perth and King Streets. Next came a small 
tavern, standing on the south side of King Street ; it 
stood a little west of Home Street, and was owned 
by the late Adiel Sherwood, Sunn after, the late 




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HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



97 



Hon. Charles Jones purchased from Mr. Buell an 
acre of land on the north side of King Street, op 
posite the tavern, erecting a merchant s shop and 
storehouse thereon, about the year 1805, in which 
he and his brother-in-law, the late John Stuart, 
carried on business for several years. About the 
year iSoS, Mr. Jones erected on the same parcel of 
land the first two-story frame building, where he 
continued to reside until his death. The building 
now stands on George Street, where it was removed 
by Messrs. Comstock and Halladay. 

Mr. A. N. Buell relates that about the year 1811, a 
contention arose between Mr. Buell and Mr. Jones 
as to the name by which the village should be 
known, each wishing the name to be taken from 
the Christian name of the respective contestants, 
Mr. Jones insisting upon Charlestown and Mr. Buell 
claiming Williamstown. General Brock, to whom 
the matter was referred, settled the question by 
giving it the name Brockville.* 

About the year 1790, Daniel Jones, Esq., purchased 
the west half of Lot No. 12, in the ist Concession of 
Elizabethtown, and erected a saw and flouring mill 
at Jones Creek. Mr. Buell also built a flouring mill 
on the 2nd Concession of Elizabethtown, about the 
year 1795. 

A small grove of oak trees was left standing on 
the land now occupied by James Smart s Novelty 
Works, the bay to the east having a beautiful sandy 
beach. Nearly all the batteaux passing up and 
down the river landed at the bay for many years, 
while the point was a general camp-ground for the 
Indians. Long after the settlement of Mr. Buell, 
the nights were frequently made hideous by Indian 
w?.r dances on the point. The Indians had dis 
covered, about a mile west of the Court House,. a 
sloping rock in which appeared a track made 
apparently by indenture in the rock of the foot 
of a man v;ith a moccasin on. This rock became 
known as the Devil s Rock. About sixty rods west 
from the Devil s Rock, and a little back from the 
river, is a granite rock, containing a round hole 
about three feet in diameter, and having a depth 
of about ten feet. 

The first school in Brock ville was opened in part 
of the residence of Mr. Buell, by Joseph Pyle. This 
ancient schoolmaster was strongly adverse to female 
society, and, rather than m<vt a woman in the road, 
would clamber over the fence, and make a circuit 
through the fields. His successor was Mr. Svlvester 
Miller, who continue ich until 1812. The 

third teacher was an Indian n.imed Paul J. Gill, 
lie had been educated at Dartmouth College. 
William Buell. Jr., set up an opposition school, 
which eventually compelled the Indian to retire. 

NOTE. Some doavpmicy i\vee.n this and oilier 

1 



During the War of 1812, flank companies were 
stationed along the frontier. The first one in 
Brockville was under the command of Captain 
| Reuben Sherwood, and many of the men were 
; billeted among the inhabitants. The guard-house 
of Captain Sherwood s company was a block house 
! situated a little west of Mr. Buell s residence. In 
the summer of the first year of the war occurred 
the cannonade between the British war vessels, the 
Earl of Moira and the Duke of Gloucester, on the 
one part, and the American schooner, Julia, on the 
other. The British vessels were anchored a little 
west of the Three Sister Islands, the Julia just 
below Big Island, west of the town. Though the 
battle lasted several hours, no damage was done. 
During the close of the war, the 571)1 Regiment was 
stationed in Brockville. 

About the year 1820, the introductory address for 
the BROCKVILLE RECORDER was written by Andrew 
Norton Buell, Esq., the publisher being Mr. 
Beach. About two years after, it passed into the 
hands of William Buell, Jr. 



CHAPTER XLV. 

MISCELLANEOUS. 
ROBERT JOHNSTON. 

Mr. Johnston is the son of James Johnston, who 
emigrated to Canada from Ireland in 1824, settling 
in Augusta, on Lot No. 5, in the 6th Concession. 
His wife was a sister of the Rev. Dr. Boyd, of 
Prescott. James Johnston died in 1858. 

Robert was born in Augusta in 1825, and married, 
in 1861, Mary, daughter of Robert Williamson. He 
resides on the homestead, consisting of 150 acres. 
At an early age, he entered upon extensive contracts 
for public works, acting as foreman for the late 
George Weir, superintending works on the northern 
Railway, at Lake Champlain, in Prescott, at Port 
Hope Harbor, and also the Esplanade at Toronto. 
He has for six years been a member of the Municipal 
Council for Augusta, five of which he has been a 
representative in the Counties Council. His resi 
dence is at Roebuck P O.; see illustration, page 194. 

HENRY PALMER. 

The subject of this sketch is the son of Reuben 
Palmer, who was born in Vermont, and emigrated 
to Canada at a very early date, settling first at 
Farmersville, and afterwards removing to Plum 

Hollow, where lie raised a family of nine children, 
his wife being Diadana Birdsell. lie was widely 
kin.wn as a great chopper. 

Henry Palmer is the owner of a valuable farm. 
lie has ben thrice married. Two of his sons are 
residents of Pennsylvania, largely interested in the 
oil business. 



i 9 S 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



HON. T. B. PARDEE, M. P. P. 

The subject of this sketch was born in the County 
of Grenville, December nth, 1830, being the son of 
A. B. Pardee, Esq., a \vcll-kno\vn temperance advo 
cate of North Augusta. Mr. Pardee married the 
daughter of J. K. Forsyth, of Sombra. Me was 
called to the Bar of Ontario in 1861, and elected a 
Bencher of the Law Society in 187 1. He entered 
upon public life as the representative of West 
Lambton, in the Local Legislature in 1867, being 
re-elected by acclamation in 1871, and also elected 
at the last general election. On the 25th of October, 
1872, he was appointed a member of the Executive 
Council, accepting the portfolio of Provincial Sec 
retary, a position which he held until the 4th of 
December, 1873, when he became Commissioner of 
Crown Lands, an office he still retains. In addition 
to his parliamentary duties, he conducts a large 
legal business, and, in recognition of his abilities, 
he was, in 1876, appointed Queen s Counsel. 

REV. JOHN DICKEY. 

Mr. Dickey was born at Rockfield, County of 
Antrim, Ireland, about the year 1800. At an early 
age he published a volume of poems, the proceeds 
of which were expended in acquiring an education. 
In 1820 he removed to Canada, and settled on a 
farm in the Township of Yonge, where he married 
Jane, eldest daughter of Peter Purvis, Esq. Mr. 
Dickey taught school, and pursued his studies for 
the ministry. He was ordained by the Brockvillc 
Presbytery, March ist, 1836, and placed in charge 
of the united congregations of Williamsburg and 
Matilda He was for many years a contributor to 
the RECORDER, furnishing a number of poems of 
more than average merit. He died in 1857, his 
remains being interred at North Williamsburg. 
Mr. Croil, the historian of Dundas, refers to his 
labors in terms of marked approval. 

BENJAMIN N. THROOP. 

The Throop family is of Scotch descent. Benja 
min, grandfather of the subject of the present sketch, 
resided at Latchfield, Connecticut, and at that place 
Samuel was born. Samuel came to Canada, settling 
in Augusta, where he married Abagail Blakesley, 
raising a family of two sons and five daughters. 
Three of the daughters married respectively, James 
Bishop, John Lane, and Arvin Bartlett. 

Benjamin N. Throop was born in Augusta, on the 
9th of January, ]8j i. On the iithof March, 1835, 
he married Miss Hill, who has borne him four chil 
dren, the sons being James, Wellington, and Israel. 

Joseph A. Throop was born in 1817, and resides 
on the homeste; d. 



J. C. MILLER, M. P. P. 

Mr. Miller is descended from an United Empire 
Loyalist family, his grandfather having served in 
the British army under Burgoyne,,was taken prisoner 
at Still water, but at the close of the war removed 
to Canada. He took up his residence in the County 
of Leeds, where Samuel Miller (fattier of the subject 
of this sketch) was born in 1796. 

John C. Miller was born in the Township of 
Yonge, December :6th, 1836. In 1859, he married 
Adelaide Augusta, only daughter of Dr. A. A. Cham 
berlain, of Farmersville. Entering upon the mer 
cantile business at Seeley s Bay, lie took an active 
part in all political contests. Subsequently he was 
appointed Deputy Sheriff of Leeds and Grenville, 
but on the formation of the Legislative Assemblv 
for Ontario, received the appointment of Superin 
tendent of Woods and Forests, in the Crown Lands 
Department for Ontario. In consequence of partial 
loss of eyesight, he was compelled to resign, when 
he entered upon the lumbering business upon an 
extensive scale at Parry Sound, with the head office 
at Toronto. 

Mr. Miller was first returned to Parliament at the 
last general election for Ontario, but was unseated 
and disqualified September i7th, 1875. This deci 
sion was, however, reversed by the Court of Error 
and Appeal, January 22nd, 1876. As the representa 
tive of Muskoka and Parry Sound, he has been one 
of the foremost advocates upon the floor of the 
House of the development of the internal resources 
of the Province, by the liberal expenditure of public 
money for railways and colonisation roads, thus 
opening up the for settlement. A 

read}- debater and a careful observer of public 
affairs, his influence in the House is highly credit 
able to the constituency which he represents. 

C. M. B. CORNELL, M. D. 

Dr. Cornell was born at Toledo, and began the study 
of his profession with his father, Dr. S. S. Cornell. 
In 1869-70, he visited New York and Philadelphia, 
prosecuting his clinical studies. In 1872, he gradu 
ated at Queen s College, becoming a member of the 
College of Physicians and Surgeons in the same 
year. He commenced the practice of his profession 
at Toledo, permanently locating at Famcrsvill.: 
in 7875. 

j. w. HOUGH. 

The late J. W. Hough was born in London, (Ei 
and settled in Canada at an early date. The sole 
surviving member of the original family is Mr. 
George Hough, of Augusta. Mr. Hough acquired 
a handsome competence, his farm at Fairfield being 
known as one of the finest and best cultivated in 
. Countv. 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



j 99 



REMINISCENCES. OF MRS. FENTON 
CONCERNING THE LARUE FAMILY, OF ESCOTT. 

Forty-three years since, the husband of Mrs. 
Feiiton \vas ia the employ of Sally Larue, Billa 
Larue having died previously. Mrs. Larue was 
an active and business-like woman, who carried on 
the mill, purchased saw-logs, measured them, and, in 
fact, performed all the duties devolving upon her. 
Mrs. Teuton frequently heard the following related, 
while residing at Laruc s : 

"At a very early elate, the Indians formed a plot 
for the murder of Billa Larue and his family, for 
the purpose of securing plunder. The night was 
fixed upon for the perpetration of the deed, but a 
squaw who was friendly informed Larue of the 
scheme, and advised him to an excellent 

supper, and when the Indians came to invite them 
in to partake of it. This course was pursued the 
Indians arrived, partook of the feast, and departed 
without molesting any person." 

Larue built locks at the mouth of the creek, so 
that saw-logs could be taken up stream, and also a 
fish-pond, the ruins of which arc still in existence. 

WILLIAM FERGUSON. 

William Ferguson came to Canada in 1832, and 
settled in Caintown, on Lot No. 20, in the 3rd Con 
cession, where he opened a tannery. lie has four 
sons James, William, John, and Archibald, and two 
daughters, who married Benjamin Thompson and 
William Tennant. Upon one occasion James shot a 
bear with a musket which had to be touched off with 
a piece of spunk. 

JOHN KING AID. 

Mr. Kincaid was born in Stirlingshire, Scotland, 
in 1771, and removed to Canada in 1801, settling in 
Yonge, where for some time he was employed by Peter 
Purvis. Subsequently he removed to Caintown, 
locating on Lot No. 19, in the jrd Concession, also 
purchasing Lot No. 18, in the 2nd Concession, from 
the McDonalds, of Gananoque. lie also secured 
the front part of Lot No. 15, in the ;;rd Concession. 
from William Thompson, residing there after the 
declaration of war, in 1812. During the war 1. 
employed by the Government to transport munitions 
of war and supplies from Prescott to Kingston, 
having charge of the specie for the payment of the 
troops. 1 1 is wife was Nancy, sister oi William 
Thompson. Far and wide, Mr. Kincaid s residence 
was famed for its hospitality, and never did a way- 
fari: , nt depart hungry from its door. 



ST. JAMES CHURCH, KEMPTVILLE. 

In 1827, the members of the Church of England 
erected a plain wooden structure, which served as a 
place of worship until the commencement of the 
present decade. The rector, the Rev. John Stan- 
nage, proceeded to England, and succeeded in 
collecting several thousand dollars in behalf of a 
new church, the congregation also contributing in 
liberal manner. On the 28th of May, 1878, the 
Lord Bishop of the Diocese laid the corner-stone, 
as a memorial in honor of the late Arch-Deacon 
Patton, the first rector, who died at Belleville in 
1874, and who, daring his pastorate of seventeen 
years at Kemptville, greatly endeared himself to his 
parishoners. The new church is one of the finest 
in Eastern Ontario, being constructed of blue lime 
stone, the style of architecture being early English. 
The church possesses a seating capacity for 500. 
The following is a list of the pastors of the church : 
Rev. Arch-Deacon Patton, from 1827 to 1846 ; Rev. 
H. M. McKilpin, from 1846 to 1851 ; Rev. H. E. 
Please, from 1851 to 1856 ; Rev. R. Lewis, from 1856 
to 1858 ; Rev. James Harris, from 1858 to 1866 ; Rev. 
John Stannage, from 1866 to the present time, the 
Rev. James Spencer being junior curate. 

PRESRYTERIAX CHURCH, KEMPTVILLE. 

The Presbyterians of Kemptville received their 
first ministerial services from the late Rev. Robert 
Piovd, 1). D., who began his work in Canada in 1820. 
The Kemptville church continued to receive a 
share of his services until the year 1834, when 
the late Rev. Joseph Anderson was appointed 
to the same field. In 1845, Mr. Anderson was 
succeeded by the Rev. William McDowell, during 
whose ministry the present stone church was built, 
but not finished. During the pastorate of his suc- 
cessor, the Rev. Charles Ouinn, the church was com 
pleted, with the exception of the tower, and in his 
time Kemptville was set off as a congregation. For 
a brief period the church was supplied by missionary 
labor, till the induction of the Rev. William Bennett, 
who was succeeded by Rev. James Douglass. ^The 
present pastor is the Rev. G. M. Clark, of Aberdeen, 
Scotland, who was inducted in May, 1876. During 
his pastorate the membership has shown a gratifying 
increase, now amounting to 111 members, with a 
Sabbath School numbering about eighty. 

ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH, Ki MITVII.LE. 
Prior to the year 1839, the Roman Catholics held 
service in a small log building, and at irregular 
intervals. The nearest church of this denomination 
was then situated at Prescott, In 1839, the late 
Spuire Ilurd (a Protestant) presented the Roman 
Catholics with a tract of land upon which to build a 






2OO 



HISTORY OF LEEDS AND GRENVILLE. 



church and parsonage. A plain, substantial stone 
building was at once erected, and continues in use, 
having frequently undergone the necessary repairs. 
The first resident priest was the Rev. Daniel Farley, 
who officiated from 1840 to 1856, when he was suc 
ceeded by the Rev. Thomas Coylc, who was relieved 
in 1860 by the Rev. William Marty, the latter gentle 
man remaining for upwards of fifteen years, in 1875 
retiring for the present pastor, the Rev. James 
Murray. 

S. C. POTTER, M. D. 

Dr. Potter was born at Manotic, Ontario, and 
educated at Queen s College, gradutUing in April, 
1875. H C commenced the practice of his profession 
in his native place the same year. In 1876, he 
removed to Ashton, Ontario, and subsequenily 
settled in Kemptville, permanently. 

HALEY FAMILY. 

George Haley came from England as a British 
soldier under Burgoyne. After the close of the 
Revolution, he settled on Lot No. 26, in the and 
Concession of Augusta, where he married Mary 
Lynch, raising a family of five sons and six daugh 
ters, viz.: William, John, Samuel, George, Thomas, 
Elizabeth, Sarah, Hannah, Mary, Esther, and Ann. 
William retained the homestead, and upon his death 
bequeathed the old place to his sons, William and 
George. John and Thomas, and two sons, reside on 
the homestead. 

Frederick Lynch, also a soldier in Burgoyne s 
army, came to Canada, and settled on Lot No. 23, 
in the 3rd Concession of Augusta. 

WILLIAM MORGAN DUNHAM 

Mr. Dunham was born at Plattsburg, New York, 
March loth, 1797. In 1807, he came to Brockville 
in company with his father and three brothers. In 
1855, he kept an hotel and a general store on the 
corner now occupied by Wood Brothers as a cigar 
store. On the ist of November, 1819, he became a 
member of the Masonic Order, subsequently becom- 
ingWorshipful Master of Lodge No. 3. On the 23rd 
of June, 1823, he was appointed first Lieutenant of 
the ist Regiment of Leeds Militia in the District of 
Johnstown; and on the 171)1 of January, 1836, he 
was promoted to the captaincy of the same company. 
On the 25th of March, 1846, he retired, retaining his 
rank. On the 8th of May, 1840, he received the 
appointment of officer of Her Majesty s Customs at 
Cole s Ferry, a position which he retained until 
February loth, 1871, when he was superannuated. 
He died at Cjle s Ferry, December 2 J h, 1877. 



BENJAMIN CHAFFEY 

Was born at Norton, England, in 1806, and died in 
1867. With truth has it been inscribed upon his 
mounment 

"In his life he has shown what a gifted and great intellect can 
effect, when combined with industry and energy." 

CHURCH OF ENGLAND IN AUGUSTA. 

From Captain D. Collins, Maitland, we learn that 
the first Episcopal service held in Augusta was by a 
man named Nichol, who, it appears, was not a regu 
larly ordained clergyman, as it was found necessary 
to pass an Act of Parliament to legalize the mar 
riages solemnized by him. 

The first parish church in Augusta was the Blue 
Church, between Maitland and Prescott. It was a 
large frame building, but in consequence of the 
limited congregation, was pulled down, having been 
declared unsafe, and the present structure erected 
on the old site. The Rev. John Bethune, afterwards 
Dean of Montreal, was the first resident minister of 
the Parish of Augusta (he also officiated in Brock 
ville.) He held services in the Blue Church, and 
also in the stone house on the Collins homestead. 
Mr. Bethune, the late Bishop of Toronto, taught a 
school in a barn on his brother s place (the clergy 
man s.) In 1821, Mr. Bethune was succeeded fry the 
Rev. Dr. Blaikie. He built St. John s Church, Pres 
cott a large frame building which stood on the site 
of the present stone edifice. He also built, in 1826, 
a stone church in Maitland. He it was that pulled 
down the old Blue Church. On his death he was 
succeeded by the present rector, the Rev. Mr. Lewis. 

FIRST COUNTY AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 

On June loth, 1830, a meeting was held at the 
house of Mr. Derbyshire. Farmersville, to form an 
agricultural society for the County of Leeds. 
OFFICERS. 

Hon. Charles Jones, President. 

George Breakenridge, John Ketchum, and Joseph 
Wiltse, Vice-Presidents. 

Benjamin Hamblin, Treasurer. 

J. K. Hartwell, Secretary. 

Coniinittei . Levi Soper, Edward Howard, Stirling 
Deming, Elijah Judd, Trueman Hicock, George De- 
long, Jonathan Sexton, R. Munsell, Ebenezer Smith. 

Visitors. Elixabcthtown : Truelove Butler, R. M. 
Johns, Robert Earl ; Yonge John Deming, Archd. 
McLean, T. P. Kenyon ; Lansdowne Seneca Wash- 
burn, Richard Johnston, Joseph Lanclon ; Leeds 
Hiel Slitcr, John S. McDonald, William Gilbert ; 
Bastard Nicholas Bresee, Peter Bresee, James Phil 
lips ; South Crosby Henry Halladay, Benjamin 
Ellsworth, John Leggett ; Kitley David Woods, 
David D. Cornell, Ebenezer Wilson ; Elmsley- 
Abel Wright, Solomon Landon, and Clark Nichols.